Little Pink Riding Hood
by Elle Q. Kaye
Summary: A remake of the original 'Little Red Riding Hood', starring Haruno Sakura as Red Riding Hood, Uchiha Sasuke as the Woodcutter, and Orochimaru as the Big Bad Wolf. Coming soon to a theatre near you. –Warning: Mature audiences recommended–
1. ChapterONE: Meeting

A remake of the original 'Little Red Riding Hood', starring Haruno Sakura as Red Riding Hood, Uchiha Sasuke as the Woodcutter, and Orochimaru as the Big Bad Wolf. Coming soon to a theatre near you. –Warning: Mature audiences recommended; includes mature themes–

.

ChapterONE

_Once upon a time, there was a girl who lived in a town next to a big scary forest. Every time she went out, her mother would remind her to come home after her job was done. And the girl would promise every time to come home straight after her job was done._

.

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_/ / Little._

_**Pink.**_

_Riding._

_**Hood. **__/ /_

_._

_._

_._

Sakura was such a pretty girl, barely 16. Her eyes were a beautiful, rare light green. Her hair was a glossy, soft pink. Her nose was a cute little button on her face. Her lips were a peachy pink full pout. She was her town's little treasure. Their little beauty.

But she was as absentminded and carefree as she was attractive.

Simple directions given to her were immediately forgotten.

Advices were thrown aside carelessly.

Sakura wasn't the brightest girl in her small town of Konoha, but she was the kindest and she had a heart that was as innocent and pure as any child's.

Konoha was a town of a small population. Everybody knew everybody else. They were all either bakers or pastry chefs, so the streets smelt like melted butter and fresh flour. The houses were cramped together with the school and also the several cow stall that they had.

It was a breezy, sunny morning when Sakura's mother handed her daughter a note. It was Sakura's to-do list. Everything was written twice in large bold words and then signed lovingly by her mother. Sakura beamed brightly and promised earnestly to do everything on the list by afternoon.

"Thank you, Sakura-chan. I'll be home by sunset. Remember, don't talk to strangers. And don't accept any gifts from them either. And, please, _please_ do not go outside of the town."

Her mother repeated that sentence daily, hoping that her it would be the one thing that Sakura would not forget.

"Don't worry, mother. I'll be fine by myself."

Sakura's mother did worry though. Sakura was too easily deceived by people; she was too sweet for her own good.

When Sakura stepped outside into the soft autumn sunlight, she took a deep breath in, just as a light breeze rolled by. She check her list;

_1. Collect a dozen eggs from the chicken coops behind Iruka-san's house. If you've forgotten where he lives, ask Kakashi-san._

_2. Go and buy a bucket from Kurenai-san. She knows which bucket. If you've forgotten where she lives, ask Kakashi-san._

_3. Find the woodcutter who lives on the edge of the town and get some spare wood from him. Just ask him for a bundle. If you don't know where he lives, ask Kakashi-san._

Kakashi was Sakura's neighbour and her mentor. Sakura had always thought he was a funny man with funny hair and a funny personality. He had brilliant silver hair that stood up in a gravity defying fashion. She loved him like an older brother and he never missed an opportunity to help her or tell her what to do and what not to do.

Sakura visited him every afternoon to recount what she'd done that day.

"Kaka-san! Does Iruka-san still live next to the creek?"

"Haha, Sakura-chan, Iruka has never lived next to a creek. He lives next to the school."

"Oh. I know where that is." Sakura laughed at herself and waved good bye to Kakashi, who closed the door and sighed. Sakura was so beautiful and sweet, but it was such a pity that she was a dazed person. It was only a matter of time when Sakura would be hurt by somebody.

Sakura wandered through the town, as though in a dream. She smiled vaguely and nodded her head to people who greeted her.

Several young men gave her dashing smiles that she couldn't fully return. Sakura knew that she was pretty and that almost every boy her age would die to just hear her say hello to them. But she had no interest in them. Sakura could not understand what the boys wanted from her.

When she arrived at the school, Iruka was already waiting in front of it, with a basket of eggs.

"You're early, Sakura-chan! I wasn't expecting you for another half an hour."

"Well, you see Iruka-san, you're the first thing on the list my mother wrote. I'm starting from the top of it."

Iruka laughed. "That's smart, Sakura-chan. Be careful not to smash those eggs. Maybe you should go straight home and put those away."

"I know, I will, Iruka-san. See you around!"

Iruka took a look at Sakura's wide smile and waved slowly to her as she spun around and danced off.

"Be careful on your way home, Sakura-chan," he called out as she disappeared around the corner. As you would expect, she didn't hear him.

By the time Sakura arrived home, she left the eggs on the door step and sat next to the basket and just stared at her front yard.

The wooden fence was beginning to fall down and the apples that had fallen at the base of the apple tree were beginning to decompose. Not just rot; the fruit was brown and withered like a walnut. The yellow grass was knee high and parted in the centre of the yard, where the path was paved with smooth coloured rocks.

It was a quiet, peaceful moment until Kakashi walked over and leant on the fence. Even though the fence protested again the weight with a moan, Sakura didn't notice Kakashi until he said, "I was taking a walk and I bumped into Kurenai-san. She handed me a bucket to give to you."

"What?"

Kakashi tried to stop a sigh from coming out and scratched his face. "I think it's on your list."

"My list. Oh no! No! I'd forgotten about it. I-I was...distracted. Was Kurenai-san upset?" Sakura looked horrified.

Kakashi chuckled. "She was smiling. I don't think she minded."

"Oh thank you, Kaka-san!" Sakura gushed and skipped over to Kakashi and took a small metal bucket from him. Kakashi patted her on the head fondly as she peered inside it and pouted when she saw it was empty. She turned it over to see whether anything would fall out.

"Why would my mother want an empty bucket?"

"Maybe she wants to fill it up with water or something."

Sakura laughed contagious giggle and smiled at Kakashi who was grinning. Her bright green eyes widened when she figured out that she had another thing on the list.

"Oh, the woodcutter!"

"What wrong with the woodcutter? Do you need firewood?"

"I think so..."

Sakura checked the list. "Why does he live on the edge of the town?"

"Because there's a forest there and he's a woodcutter."

Sakura sighed and looked down at the sheet of paper. "That's awfully far away. He must be so lonely there."

"I've met him a few times and trust me, he's not lonely. He likes his solitude and quiet. He's not very friendly."

"Kaka-san! I'm sure he's very nice if you just talk to him. Maybe I'll talk to him and we'll become friends."

Kakashi didn't bother removing his sceptical look, but Sakura didn't see it anyway. Sakura put the bucket next to the eggs and pranced through the grass, running her dainty white hands through the long yellow grass. She cried out a cheerful farewell to Kakashi who sighed again and leapt over the fence on one hand to take the basket and bucket into the house.

The fence swayed dangerously behind him.

Sakura flounced through the street gracefully, stopping every few minutes for directions. People turned their heads wherever Sakura went.

The town was so small that the number of people who turned their heads swindled quickly and soon no one was left to tell her where and where to turn left. And the edge of town still seemed very far; Sakura could just make out a long stretch of wall in the distance.

"Hey, you."

Sakura turned around and searched for the person whom the cold, emotionless voice belonged to.

There was a grove of trees on her right and she could see a dark figure leaning on a tree in the shadows. Sakura cocked her head to one side and her eyes widened slowly as the figure straightened. She tugged at her hair nervously as the figure began to walk into the light. Sakura took him in quickly.

He was a strapping young man, no different from the boys in town. But one thing did make him stand out, his dark black eyes. They held a feeling that Sakura could not explain, like a pain or ache. But Sakura could not deny the fact that he was very striking and good-looking.

Much better looking than the butcher's grizzly son, who had been trying to court her for months.

"Look, girl, I'm pretty sure that this is private property," he said in a low dangerous voice. Sakura's reaction almost let the young man show surprise on his face. Most people who drifted onto his piece of land would rush off in fear when he appeared, not give a wide smile.

"I've never seen you before," Sakura said softly and then grinned. "Have you always lived here? Where am I anyway...? Can you give me directions? W-what's your name? I'm Sakura."

She said that all in one breathe. The boy decided that he didn't like Sakura. She was too cheery and bright. And she asked way too many questions. But she didn't cower under his glare; she just kept looking at him with her big questioning eyes. He stayed silent before turning around and walking away from Sakura.

"Hey! W-wait!" Sakura cried. "Um, I need to cross the woodcutter off my list, a-and I need to find him. F-for w-wood..."

"There's a pile of scrap wood over there, by the barrels."

"Oh. So is this the edge of town? Does that mean that-" she pointed to the grove of trees, "-is the forest?"

"It extends into a forest," the boy answered without turning around, heavily hinting that Sakura should just leave. Sakura strained her neck to see a dark area behind the long fence. The forest looked so very frightening, as if from a fairy tale, where trolls lived under bridges and elves hunted for food. Sakura was amazed that the young man would go to the forest all by himself for wood.

Sakura looked over at the pile of wood and then back at the boy.

"Maybe I should ask the woodcutter first," Sakura said unsurely. "If he gets angry with me..."

The boy stopped walking and turned his head to look over his shoulder, smirking. "Is that what they call me in town now?"

"That depends. Who are you? You haven't told me your name yet."

Sasuke blinked at the pink haired girl, who was so clueless.

"I'm Sasuke."

Sakura bowed her head politely but Sasuke had begun to show her his back again. "Wait!"

"What?"

"Can you help me with the firewood?"

"How much do you need?"

"Ummm... I don't remember. A lot?"

"There's a wheelbarrow next to the barrels. You can borrow that."

"Then, can you help me home?"

"What?"

Sakura's smile faded a bit and the twinkle was lost in her eyes. "I've never been here before. I can't remember the way home."

"Why do you get let out then?"

"...I don't understand."

"You don't even know the way back to where you live. It's stupid to let you out by yourself."

Sasuke hadn't really meant for the words to sound harsh, but the choice of words combined with his cold demeaning attitude said the opposite. But the thought of apologizing didn't even run through his mind. Even with his back turned to her, he could feel Sakura's confused expression turn into a flash of pain

"I _do_ know where I live," she cried, waving her arms at Sasuke's back. "I've just never been here before."

Sasuke sighed at how annoying this girl was. "Fine, I'll help you with the fire wood, then tell you how to get home."

"Thank you."

"Hn."

Sasuke reluctantly began to walk over to the heap of scrap wood and pile it into the old wheelbarrow. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Sakura approach him and watch him work. Sasuke ignored her.

"Do you need any help?"

Sasuke almost snorted. The small girl was asking whether he needed any help. He held back a smile. What if he said yes? What would she be able to do? Delicately pick at the wood and then cry when she got a splinter? Ha.

"Aren't you afraid that you'll break a nail?" he scoffed at her, tossing a bundle of wood into the wheelbarrow. It was already half full.

Sakura watched curiously and held out her hand, smiling again. Sasuke looked at her warily and passed her a slice of wood about the size of his palm, but to Sakura, it was nearly the size of her entire hand. She grinned at Sasuke and threw the wood in the wheelbarrow.

"No nails broken," Sakura giggled and Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Congratulations."

Sakura didn't pick up the evident sarcasm in his voice.

She looked down shyly and blushed. No one had ever congratulated her on anything before. They usually told her she did a good job but would have to sit in the corner for the rest of the time. And when she asked why, they would always reply with, "So other people can do good jobs, too!" Sakura didn't like the way the spoke to her. Like she was completely helpless. She wasn't. She just...couldn't remember.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said softly. The only reaction Sasuke had was a raised eyebrow. This girl was crazy.

"Whatever," he said gruffly, after he realised that Sakura was blushing. "Look, there's enough fire wood for 2 nights in this wheelbarrow. Can you leave now?"

"It's almost lunchtime," said Sakura, looking up at the sky, seemingly unaware that Sasuke had spoken at all. "Would you like to have lunch with me?"

"No."

"What? Sasuke-kun is mean," pouted Sakura, placing a hand on her hip. "Please have lunch with me. You've been really nice to me."

Sasuke cursed at himself silently. Was he really being nice to her?

Damn.

He'd been trying to get rid of her for the past 10 minutes. Maybe he should have just left her by herself and let her wander off into the forest... No. Even Sasuke was cruel enough to send a person, especially a girl like Sakura into such a dark and dangerous place. It was rumoured that restless souls of the dead lived in there, preying on humans. Sasuke thought it was a load of bull that parents told to their children to ensure that they stay out of the forest, but occasionally someone would walk into the forest, and never be heard from again.

News like this would always send chills down Sasuke's back.

"I guess I have been nice to you," said Sasuke, saying it more to himself than to Sakura, thinking that he'd somehow saved Sakura's life. If he hadn't been here, Sakura probably would have become the forest's next victim. An odd pride swelled in Sasuke's chest. Then he got annoyed. "But I usually eat alone."

"Not today!"

"Then let me clarify, Sakura, I _want _to eat alone."

"Oh..."

Sasuke sighed. "See that black pole over there?" Sakura nodded quickly, slightly confused.

"That's the way you came from. Just go there and then ask for more directions."

"From who?"

Sasuke wanted to groan out loud and bash his head against a wall. This girl was impossible. Was she for real?

"Just go," he said in an exasperated tone. Sakura nodded slowly, not willing to show that she was hurt inside. She'd tried to befriend him but he kept pushing her away.

She remembered what Kakashi-san had said about the woodcutter, "_He's not very friendly..._" What was the other thing that Kakashi-san had said about Sasuke? Something about liking quiet? The more Sakura tried to recall Kakashi-san's words, the more infuriated she got.

"Fine. I'll go," she said stiffly. This was as nasty as Sakura tried to sound. She'd never been spiteful to anyone in her life before.

Sasuke raised both eyebrows this time and watched Sakura walk away. Finally. He was alone again. Just as he liked. But for some reason he couldn't stop staring at Sakura.

The way her body moved when she walking.

The way her hands were balled into fists at her sides.

The way her hair flopped from side to side as she took each step.

Not that Sasuke cared. When Sakura was about halfway between the pole and Sasuke, she suddenly turned around and flipped him off. Then she saw that Sasuke was still watching her and she began to walk faster, head lowered half in shame and half in satisfaction. She didn't really understand what the middle finger meant, but her mother told her that people made that hand gesture to people they didn't like.

"Hn."

But it was an amused 'hn'. When Sakura reached the pole, she turned to a nearby farmer and began to talk to him, then disappear behind a house. That was the last of Sakura, Sasuke ever saw.

At least, that's what he thought at the time. Until he saw that he was leaning on the wheelbarrow, full of firewood.

Damn.

Sakura probably wouldn't even notice until the next day... which meant that she would be coming back! Sasuke narrowed his eyes in thought. Which would he prefer? Another visit from Sakura? Or a quick visit _to_ Sakura and drop off the wood and then hopefully never see her again?

The latter please.

* * *

TBC

* * *

Author's Note: This is my first SasuSaku fanfic :) the rest of the story depends entirely on the responce I get from this chapter. So please add this fic to your alert list and review ;)

Elle.


	2. ChapterTWO: Bonding

ChapterTWO

A remake of the original 'Little Red Riding Hood', starring Haruno Sakura as Red Riding Hood, Uchiha Sasuke as the Woodcutter, and Orochimaru as the Big Bad Wolf. Coming soon to a theatre near you. –Warning: Mature audiences recommended; includes mature themes–

_._

_._

_Previously:_

"Remember, don't talk to strangers. And don't accept any gifts from them either. And, please, _please_ do not go outside of the town."

"He likes his solitude and quiet. He's not very friendly."

"Maybe I'll talk to him and we'll become friends.

"Please have lunch with me."

"I usually eat alone."

"Not today!"

"Then let me clarify, I _want _to eat alone."

"Fine. I'll go."

_On the other side of town, there was a boy who lived by himself on the edge of a forest. Every morning, he would wake up and go to work. His job was to cut down trees and give the logs to carpenters. Then he would give the spare wood to people in other towns for firewood. He was the Woodcutter._

.

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_/ / **Little.**_

_Pink._

**_Riding._**

_Hood. __/ /_

_._

_._

_._

Someone... No, _something_ was out there. Rustling the bushes in the dark. Tapping on people's window as they slept at night. Something evil.

Spirits, people managed to convince themselves and each other, spirits were agitated and angry. They wanted something from the people. But what was it?

People who ran out of their houses at night to do last minute errands often never came home.

This is one of their stories...

Somewhere in a town neighbouring Sakura's, lived a small girl around Sakura's age. Their towns were separated by a stretch of forest. The girl's name was Hinata.

"And don't come back until you find your sister's kite," snapped Hinata's father. Hinata bowed lowly and tried not to her feelings creep onto her face. Her father had always favoured her little sister and given her the royal treatment. Meanwhile, Hinata had to depend on hand-me-ups and clean up after her sister.

"Yes, Father," Hinata whispered and dashed out of the house. A coldness of the night hit her and she shivered as she closed the door. The thought of the evil spirits crosses her mind but she was more afraid of her father than some restless spirit.

That afternoon, Hinata's little sister had run home crying that some boys had stolen her kite and flew it into a high tree. And where would that tree be?

On the edge of the forest.

Hinata panted as she ran down the street to the part of the forest her sister described, "_The part where there's a fountain in the park..._" before bursting into tears again.

That part of the forest was relatively sunny in the day, unlike other shadier sections, so it had been deemed safe to play in when the sun was up. But when the sun set, parents would warn their children to leave the area alone.

When Hinata approached the tall, foreboding front of the forest, her eyes squinted into the darkness and she tried to see if the kite was still there. Everything was so silent that Hinata was getting very nervous as she scanned her eyes along the tops of the trees.

It's just a rumour.

It's just a rumour.

_Snap._

_It's just a _rumour_,_ a voice in Hinata's head cried, as a twig broke in the distance. Hinata looked around frantically and suddenly noticed the tail of the kite hanging from a branch not too far from her. She walked under it and stretched. It was just out of her reach, so Hinata began to jump for it.

_Snap._

"A r-rumour," whimpered Hinata to herself. The tail of the kite was so close that Hinata could have counted the bows on it. She stopped and crouched down and used all of her might to leap up. Her fingers caught the tail and she tugged on it. The whole branch shook and a shower of leaves fell on Hinata. Every time a leaf touched her, she flinched with fear.

This whole evil magic spirit thing was getting ridiculous. Hinata was a logical person who didn't believe in it. She didn't _want_ to believe in it.

"J-just a rumour," she said so softly that she wasn't sure why she was speaking so quietly. It wasn't like anyone was going to hear her anyway. She smiled at her own stupidity and continued to yank at the kite, which was slowly making its way down to her.

"It's not a rumour, little girl," hissed a hungry male voice directly behind Hinata, so close that she wanted to cry. Hinata jumped violently at the voice. A wind was beginning to pick up. She turned slowly to face the owner of the voice and opened her mouth to scream.

It was too late. Everything went red and then dark.

The tail of the kite swayed in the wind, in the empty park.

.

.

.

A single knock interrupted Sakura's otherwise quiet dinner with Kakashi. Her mother had come home at sunset but then rushed out again, mentioning something about Kurenai-san's baby.

"I'll get that," said Sakura happily, putting down her fork. When Kakashi was preparing dinner for Sakura, he realised that there was no firewood to do so. Sakura blushed and looked down in embarrassment but Kakashi said that they could have dinner at his place instead.

Kakashi's house was smaller than Sakura's and a lot messier than hers too. Mould was growing on the bread and cheese in his pantry and books were thrown everywhere. Sakura jumped over these books and navigated her way to the door. It was already so dark outside.

She opened her door carefully and smiled.

"Oh, hello, Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and thought that maybe she was no longer peeved at him. After all, the hand gesture that she gave him wasn't very discreet. But then Sasuke had a feeling that she would have smiled and said hello to anyone. He sighed. Sasuke didn't want to be here. He was cold and away from home, with the craziest girl in the world, and not to mention that his fingers were numb.

Sakura looked at him expectedly, thinking that he was going to greet her back. To her disappointment, he simply pointed over his shoulder at a wheelbarrow. A wheelbarrow?

"Oh. _Oh! _Sasuke-kun, thank you!" Sakura cried and leapt at him to give him a hug. A little red flag shot up in Sasuke's head at maximum speed and he took a step sideways, away from Sakura. She fell, of course, but her hands managed to find the heavy wheelbarrow and hold herself up, avoiding falling straight to the ground.

"Sasuke!" There was a tiny crease between Sakura's eyebrows as she pulled herself into a more dignified position.

"When you've emptied it," Sasuke said, pointing at the wheelbarrow again, "just leave it outside and I'll come to collect it in two days. Don't bother waiting for me."

Sakura's mouth opened to ask him why but Kakashi interrupted her.

"Sakura-chan? Who is it?" he called lazily from the dining table. Kakashi was trying to look out of the door to see who it was by leaning back on the hind legs of his chair at a dangerous angle. "Why don't you invite them in? It's getting a bit-"

_Crash_

"-nippy out there... Argh, stupid chair!"

The two teenagers stared into the house silently. Sasuke was smirking.

"I can see where you get your carelessness," he said in a tone that was neither playful nor nasty. Sakura blinked at him, several times for several minutes. Sasuke's patience was wearing thin.

"Where?"

"That man."

"Kakashi?"

"If that's his name."

"Why would I get carelessness from him?"

"Isn't he your dad?"

"No," laughed Sakura. "He's too young. He's just my neighbour. I don't know my dad. He died when I was a little girl."

Sasuke swallowed and grimaced. He didn't know that. Well, he didn't really know anything about Sakura at all.

"Sorry," he muttered. "My dad died when I was young too."

Sakura gave a small smile and shook her head quickly.

"You don't have to say sorry, Sasuke-kun. You didn't do anything wrong," Sakura giggled. "Do you want to come in? It's getting a bit nippy out here."

"Are you just copying what Kaka- Never mind," Sasuke sighed, when Sakura widened her eyes in confusion. He realised how often he sighed around Sakura. "I'm going now. Bye."

"Oh," said Sakura dejectedly. "See you later than."

"Yeah, sure," muttered Sasuke, walking away. Sakura stared after him until he walked out of Kakashi's gate and turned left. She continued to stare after him until he was just a little white dot.

"Come on," said Kakashi, who had been standing in the doorway. "You'll get a cold standing out here."

"Why doesn't he like me?"

"Huh?"

"Sasuke-kun doesn't like me," Sakura sulked, storming past Kakashi. "I just want to be his friend. Stupid Sasuke."

"I told you, Sakura-chan," reminded Kakashi. "He's not very friendly. You can't blame people for that. Everybody has problems. You know, flaws in their personality."

Sakura turned and smiled at Kakashi, who cocked his head to one side, eyebrow raised mischievously.

"What is it, Sakura-chan?"

"What's my flaw?"

Kakashi cleared his throat and said loudly, "Your soup's going to get cold."

Sakura widened her eyes and attacked Kakashi with a look of innocence. He cleared his throat again and took her by the shoulders to steer her back to the dining room. He shut the door swiftly with a gently kick of his foot.

"The thing wrong with you, Sakura-chan," commented Kakashi as he sat Sakura back in her seat, "is that you can't stay in one place for a long time." _Because you tend to wander off aimlessly._

Sakura giggled as Kakashi continued.

"You're stubborn and you don't listen to adults." _Because you forget what say._

"And not to mention, you get away with it too much." _Because no one wants to hurt something so delicate._

"Kaka-san! You make me sound like a rebel," Sakura grinned happily as Kakashi sat back in his seat, across the table from her. "You have flaws too!"

"Eh?"

"You read bad books. You're very picky," listed Sakura, ticking things off with her fingers. "You always come to our house to eat. You're boring to listen to sometimes. And my mother says that you can't hold down a girl..."

"_Huh?_"

"We have rope in our backyard," offered Sakura kindly, after witnessing Kakashi's reaction. He had narrowed his eyes and turned an unpleasant red. "Or you can sit on them. I remember one time, a boy fell on me and I wasn't able to move until he got off."

Kakashi laughed heartily at her and leaned over to pat her on the head.

"Well, you tell your mother that holding down a girl is a lot harder than it seems," he muttered.

"Where's my mother, anyway?"

"At Kurenai's."

"Why?"

"She's helping with the baby."

Sakura didn't even know that Kurenai had a child. Kakashi then helpfully reminded her that Kurenai was pregnant.

"Oh," said Sakura thoughtfully.

"You didn't think that she was just naturally getting round, did you?" laughed Kakashi. Sakura beamed at him and shook her head. "Anyway, it's getting dark. I'll walk you home."

"It's not _getting_ dark," noted Sakura, "it got dark ages ago."

"What?"

"Nothing."

.

.

.

When Sasuke woke up the next morning, the sun was just overseeing the horizon; the birds were chirping; and someone was knocking impatiently on his door. Sasuke groaned and buried his face into his pillow for a second.

He didn't want to answer the door. He wasn't in the mood to see anyone.

"Sasuke-kun?"

Especially her.

"Go away," he growled into his pillow before summoning all of his strength and sitting up. Sasuke was shirtless, of course. He always slept shirtless. It was too much of a hassle to find a shirt. Sasuke usually had a shower, found a pair of boxers and just flopped into bed, hair still wet.

Of course, sleeping on wet hair was never good for you.

"Sasuke-kun? Are you there? Is this your house? I brought the wheelbarrow!"

Sasuke cursed as he rolled out of bed in a lazy fashion and walked slowly to the door as Sakura's shouting became increasingly panicked. He didn't even bother looking for a pair of pants to put on.

"What?" mumbled Sasuke, glaring at Sakura bleary eyed, as he wrenched open the door. He wasn't much of a morning person. Even Sakura could tell.

"Waah... Sasuke-kun! You have bed hair," giggle Sakura, staring up at him. Sasuke was at least a half foot taller than her. She tried to peer over his shoulder, into his house, but Sasuke stood still and stared at her.

"Yes?"

"Haha, nothing," she chirped as she shook her head. Her pink locks were tied up. Sasuke gave her a deadpan stare and then turned back into the house, closing the door behind him.

"Eh? Sasuke-kun? Wait!"

"Why?" he said emotionlessly through the door. "You said nothing."

"Y-yes, but-"

"I'm busy. I have a lot of work to do today."

"I can help!"

Sasuke palmed his forehead forcefully.

"Just because you picked up a lump of wood, doesn't mean that you know how to log trees. Or saw off branches. Or anything like that."

Sasuke listened intently for Sakura's reply, for there was none. He thought that maybe he had insulted her again, and she had once more stormed off. It was silent for a minute.

"...Sakura?"

"I'm still here!"

Of course she was. She was most likely thinking. Poor thing probably couldn't think and talk at the same time.

Sasuke smirked at his little joke. She better have been sitting down.

He gave a low chuckle. He was being particularly humorous.

"Sakura, I don't need your help," said Sasuke slowly. "You can go home."

"Please, let me stay."

"Why? _Why_ on earth would I let you stay?" asked Sasuke, threatening to lose all control. He wanted to grab this girl and force some sense into her.

"Well, I've brought something to eat," started Sakura. Sasuke blinked. "Kakashi-san told me that it would be rather warm today and then he told me that woodcutters work outdoors most of the time."

"So... He told you to bring the food?"

"No. That was my idea," Sakura beamed brightly at the door. Even on the other side, Sasuke could feel the pride radiating off her. "I brought cakes and sandwiches. And a flask of lemonade."

Sasuke almost smiled properly, instead of those arrogant smirks he had so often. His mother use to make lemonade for him and his brother in hot afternoons. They were sweet and so deliciously sour at the same time. He and Itachi would gulp down glass after glass as their mother would scold them for not leaving any for their father.

He opened the door begrudgingly and stared at a spot two inches above Sakura's pink head.

"Ummm... You can, maybe, watch me... as I work," he muttered quickly, not even aware that he was scratching the back of his head. "You know. To keep me company. Or...something."

The man of very few words was having trouble to get a simple sentence out.

Sakura followed his line of vision and turned her head to look behind her.

"Who are you speaking to?"

"Uh, no one."

Sakura laughed a tinkling laughter as she presented Sasuke with a picnic basket. It had a pink bowtie on the handles.

Sasuke didn't know whether to take it from her or to praise her. So he just stared at it lamely.

"Um... Would you like to take it inside, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked hopefully.

Sasuke looked at her big green eyes and shrugged. Sakura smiled and pressed the basket into his hands. He quickly grasped the handle just after she let go. He could hear the clinking of metal come from the basket.

"Alright, Sasuke-kun! Let's get to work," said Sakura enthusiastically, with a cheeky smile. "Come on! Let's go!"

"Not now."

"Aww, Sasuke-kun. Whyyy?"

"I need to have a shower, eat something and most important of all, get dressed."

Sakura giggled at Sasuke. She hadn't even noticed that he was very much shirtless. He was so pale.

"You should work like that."

"Idiot. I'd get sunburnt."

"But you look better like this."

Sasuke shut the door in Sakura's face again.

A short half an hour later, Sasuke emerged from his home clean and slightly more refreshed. The thought of spending time with Sakura was dampening his mood, but otherwise he was in quite high spirits.

"Sasuke-kun! Over here!"

Sasuke raised a hand to shield his eyes from the rising sun. Sakura was sitting on a bundle of logs, tied together flimsily by some rope, next to a fallen tree that Sasuke had been working on the day before. Aside from the fact that it was a dangerous place to be sitting, all Sasuke could wonder was how she got up there. Sakura waved her arms around, not holding on to anything. Sasuke picked up his axe, which was just lying next to the door and jogged towards her.

"If you fall," warned Sasuke, "I'll..."

What was he going to do? Carry her bridal style to the nearest hospital? Go into town and cry for help? No way on earth.

"I'll just let you lie on the ground in pain," finished Sasuke lamely. Sakura shrugged and swung her legs freeing on the sides of the log. "Come on, get off that."

"No," pouted Sakura. "It's nice up here. I can see the top of your head, Sasuke-kun!"

"I'm serious, get off that," said Sasuke sternly. Sakura saw the sternness in his eyes and swung one of her legs over to climb down. She stopped and looked down for a place to climb down, but evidentially, there wasn't because she froze.

It was only after a few minutes when Sasuke finally asked in a monotone voice, "Do you need help?"

If it had been anyone else, they would have replied with a sharp, "No shit, Sherlock. What, do you think I've been standing five feet off the ground for fun?" But sweet Sakura said, "Yes, please, Sasuke-kun. My feet hurt."

"Why'd you wear those stupid shoes then?" grumble Sasuke as he extended a hand to help her down. His hand was so large and rough compared to hers.

Sakura looked at her feet; she was wearing a peach-coloured pair of ballet flats, with a white trimmed black ribbon, fashioned into a bow at the heel.

"Do you think that they're stupid, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke said nothing. Sakura hopped onto the ground gracefully. Sasuke tried to let go of her hand but she held on and swung it lightly like they were children.

"Let go of me."

Sakura ignored him and said, "How many trees do you need to cut down?"

"As many as I need. Let go."

"How many do you need?"

"Supply and demand, mainly. It varies week to week. Let go."

"I don't have many friends back home."

"Don't care. Let go."

"Most of the people my age are boys. Only a few are girls and they're not very nice to me."

"Hn."

Sakura led Sasuke to the side of the bundle, where there was a lone log, and sat on it. Sasuke twisted his hand out of Sakura's and looked away. He finally got up and sat his way to the fallen tree to lob off the branches. Every couple of seconds, Sasuke looked out of the corner of his eye to see whether Sakura was still there. She was, and she was staring at him with mild interest.

"Why are you here?" Sasuke grew agitated

"I just want to look at what you do."

"Liar. I chop wood. The job description is in its name."

"What name?"

Sasuke sighed and threw down his axe in frustration. Sakura watched him curiously as he approached her and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"What does it take for you to remember things?" he muttered aggressively at her, his eyes stone cold. Sakura blinked at him and looked hurt. Why was he so angry? No one else had ever spoken to her again. "What do _I_ have to do to make you remember?"

"I remember lots of things, Sasuke!" she snapped. "It's just that I can't..."

"Can't what?" Sasuke growled. He was fed up with Sakura's innocent look, friendly smile and gentle actions. No one on the face of the earth was like her. They were all pretending and fake.

He shook her shoulders slightly.

"I can't say! I don't know... I can remember things but I just can't... do anything about it," cried Sakura to Sasuke, whose face was only a foot away. Sasuke turned his head away but still didn't relinquish her from his grip.

"Why are you here?"

Sakura tried to look Sasuke in the face. "I want to be your friend."

Sasuke should have been expecting an answer like that. He _was_ expecting an answer like that. An answer that was selfless and kind. But nonetheless he was still surprised.

"Why?"

"You live all by yourself. And Kaka-san says that no one in the village likes you," said Sakura calmly. Sasuke glowered at her when she said that no one liked him. Surely he wasn't that bad. "I thought...maybe, if you had a friend you wouldn't be lonely."

"Did I say that I was lonely?"

"No."

"Did I say that I wanted a friend?"

"No, bu-"

"Did I say that I cared?"

"Yes."

"...What?"

"You let me stay with you today. It must mean something," Sakura grinned. Sasuke realised how cute she looked.

"Hn."

"Yay!"

"What?"

Sakura toned down her smile to something shyer. Sasuke's mind was racing. Did he give something away?

"You care. You didn't deny it."

Sasuke almost blushed at Sakura's cheeky smile. The blood was so close to the surface on his face.

No. Uchiha Sasuke did not blush.

"Hn."

He finally let go of Sakura and swaggered back to the where he had left his axe.

Sakura tried to adjust herself more comfortably on the log as she spoke.

"What's your dream, Sasuke?"

"To become deaf."

"Eh? Why?"

"So I wouldn't be able to listen to you anymore." But Sasuke said it to himself. He didn't want Sakura getting mad at him and leaving him. "Why so you want to know?"

"I don't know."

"Is that your most said phrase? 'I don't know'?"

"Hehe, probably," giggled Sakura. "You don't talk a lot, Sasuke-kun."

"Well, it's hard to get a word in when I'm with you," grunted Sasuke as he swung his axe against a thick branch.

"Oh. I won't say anything then. You can say whatever you want."

"Ok... Well... My name is Sasuke. I live by myself. I log trees to give to the carpenters in Kiri."

Sakura frowned. Sasuke just told her things that she already knew. Why was he such a private person? Maybe... Maybe he wasn't unfriendly. Maybe people only thought that because he didn't speak much. Maybe, just maybe, he was shy... Sakura smiled softly at the thought.

"Tell me more."

"Oh, alright," said Sasuke, rather obediently. He swung at the branch one last time before it fell to the ground with a quiet thump. "I had an older brother."

"Oh?" Sakura watched Sasuke drag the branch into the sunlight.

"Yeah. He was about five or six years older than me. But we were really close and tight, you know what I mean?"

"No."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and sat next to Sakura. It was nice to have company, he decided. Even if it was Sakura. Especially if was Sakura.

"Well, my brother was," Sasuke started but trailed off with a 'hmmm...' Sakura watched him with gentle eyes. Sasuke was opening up to her and she liked it.

"He was a great friend of mine, I guess," Sasuke said, looking up at the sky. "My dad was always too busy for me. So was my mother."

"I thought that your father died," commented Sakura.

"Before he died, genius. My mother died too."

"At least you have your brother!"

"He's dead."

"Well, that's not a very nice story," said Sakura quietly. Sasuke gave a short humourless laugh.

"Life's not very nice. Like that, for instance," Sasuke pointed at a dark grey cloud that was almost directly above them, rumbling and growling menacingly. "It's all nice until it starts it rain."

Sasuke nudged Sakura with the palm of his hand and then jerked his head towards his cabin.

"I'm retiring for the day. You can go home too."

Sasuke paused.

"You _do_ remember the way home, right?"

Sakura nodded indignantly. She was very unhappy with the weather. It had been a beautiful blue-skyed morning, but only for an hour or so. Sakura quietly said goodbye to the sun as the cloud swallowed it up.

"You can take your hamper home too. Come again some other time," said Sasuke, picking up his axe. Sakura's ears perked up as she stood up slowly.

"What did you say?"

"I...said..." Sasuke drawled out his words slowly and loudly, "you...can...take..."

"You said I could come some other time," squealed Sakura, jumping up and down. A flash of lighting illuminated the sky and the grounds. Sakura squealed again, this time with fright. Sasuke raised an eyebrow and massaged the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

"You better go before it-"

_Splat._

_Splat._

_Splat._

Drops of rain hit Sasuke in the face. He groaned while Sakura laughed out loud and began to spin and dance around. The rain grew steadily stronger as thunder roared above them.

"Ok, dancing queen," growled Sasuke at Sakura, "that's enough now. You're already getting wet. If you get sick..."

"I won't get sick," cried Sakura cheerfully, throwing her hands in the air, her cheeks flushed. Sasuke watched in dismay as she continued spinning in a circle, her head tilted towards the sky, trying to catch droplets in her mouth.

"You're stupid shoes will get wet," warned Sasuke but Sakura didn't hear him. "Your loss..."

Sasuke left Sakura in the rain, dancing happily. Sakura had always liked the rain. How cool it felt on her skin. How fresh it made everything smell. She liked watching droplets race each other to the bottom of the window pane at home.

_Aah-choo_

Sakura sniffed and saw that Sasuke had gone. She decided that she better get home too.

_A-ah-choo!_

Sakura was feeling lightheaded after sneezing so forcefully. She tottered slowly towards the black pole that Sasuke had shown her yesterday. Was it only yesterday? It had seemed so long ago. Or was she just getting dizzier?

* * *

TBC

* * *

Author's Note: Hello there :) thanks so much to those who reviewed. it was very encouraging when people told me my characterisation of sasuke was good :D and yes, i know sakura is a bit ooc in this fic (maybe i should warn people in the summary?) but if sakura was smart, how on earth could she mistaken a Big Bad Wolf for her Grandmother?

also, i just want to ask, is this chapter too long? or just the right size...?

review and tell me what you think :) pointing out grammatical errors is also welcome; i'm looking for a beta, if anyone's interested :)

Elle.


	3. OmakeONE

_Omake I (AU) (The New Version: 22/12/10)_

_Lights. Camera._

_Action!_

"That Uchiha is sooo hot!"

"Ow, Ino. I swear if your voice gets any higher, only dogs will be able to hear you..."

"Shut up. Look! He'd going to be touring around to promote his new movie. Can we go to the premier of _'Blood Betrayal II: The Red Revenge'_? Pleease?"

"...Do you even know what that movie's about?"

"Do I have to? Come on, Sakura! Uchiha, Nara, Uzumaki, Hyuuga, that redhead—"

"Gaara—"

"I don't care what his name is! All I know is that movie's gonna have sexy, sweaty people in it, and, damn it, we are going to the premiere!"

_Facepalm._

_Sigh._

"Oh, come _on, _Sakura!Think of this as...a field trip to the cinemas...to observe the film techniques used in action movies! Pleeaase!"

"Ino, just because we're drama students...it doesn't mean that we have to see _every_ Sasuke-movie that comes out."

"Oh, what do you know, you bookworm? Sasuke is more than...an actor...he's an artist!"

"Can you hear yourself talking? If you love him that much, go audition for his next movie."

"Oh my God...Sakura! You're a genius! Little red riding hood, here I come!"

_Silence._

_Crickets chirping in the background._

"Bwahahahahaha! Red riding hood? Ahaha, are you freaking serious? Sasuke Uchiha, action movie hero...in a child's fairytale?"

"Grow up, Sakura. He's a serious acto—Stop laughing! It's just a remake of—_Shut up!_"

"_Hahaha..._"

"Shut up. Well, you know that dark haired chick, who was in...erm... _'The Hidden Meanings Trilogy'_? The one you said was really pretty. You know, the one who came to give that inspirational talk to us but ended up fainting?"

"Mmmm, yeah. Hinata Hyuuga."

"Yeah, that one. She's gonna be in it. Along with Sasuke. Take that."

"Ino, for crying out loud, do you not see the humour of Sasuke Uchiha taking a role in a fairytale?"

"Noo. I swear the producer and director's a genius! The storyline's gonna appeal to the kids and Sasuke brings all the girls to the yard, and they're like—"

"Aw crap. Fine, I'll stop making fun of _Sasuke_ and his stupid career."

"Excellent! Aaand, you have to come and audition with me. You can be like, an extra or something."

"You're a bitch. Fine. I guess I could add something else to my resume other than random late night soap operas."

"_Yes! _Pinky promise?"

"Mmph."

_Pinky promise._

_Ino doesn't let go._

"_Andyouhavetogowithmetowatch'BloodBetrayal2'!"_

"You..._BITCH!"_

_

* * *

_

A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS! i have more chapter for you in the next couple of days ;)

i'm so sorry about not publishing any chapters lately. no excuse this time: i was just plain lazy. i'm really sorry.

and to explain, the omakes are all AU: sakura's an actress playing the role of sakura (red riding hood) and sasuke's an actor playing the role of sasuke (woodcutter).

...does that make sense? lol.

be happy this time of year,

Elle.


	4. ChapterTHREE: Knowing

ChapterTHREE

A remake of the original 'Little Red Riding Hood', starring Haruno Sakura as Red Riding Hood, Uchiha Sasuke as the Woodcutter, and Orochimaru as the Big Bad Wolf. Coming soon to a theatre near you. –Warning: Mature audiences recommended; includes mature themes–

_._

_._

_Previously:_

"You're stubborn and you don't listen to adults." _Because you forget what say._

.

"I don't have many friends back home."

.

"What does it take for you to remember things?"

"I remember lots of things, Sasuke! I can remember things but I just can't... do anything about it."

.

"I want to be your friend."

"Why?"

"I thought...maybe, if you had a friend you wouldn't be lonely."

.

"You're already getting wet. If you get sick..."

.

_The Woodcutter got to know Red Riding Hood a little and they began to develop a friendship._

.

.

_/ / Little._

_Pink._

_Riding._

_Hood. / /_

_._

_._

_._

The news that Sakura, precious Sakura-chan, had fallen ill spread like wildfire around Konoha. Rumours spread immediately. First Sakura had a cold. Then people started saying that she had a high fever. Then, apparently, Sakura fainted. Before long, old women were whispering to each other that the town beauty had a deadly illness that no one could cure and that she would die before the grey day had ended.

Anxious young men showed up to Sakura's doorstep, holding rose, lilies or daisies. They bombarded Sakura's mother with questions, the most common one being, "How exactly contagious is this disease?" And after Sakura's poor mother assured them that it was perfectly safe, they demanded to see her.

"I'm sorry, I can't let that happen," Sakura's mother shook her tired head. "Sakura-chan is resting. You may come to visit tomorrow if you wish."

It was a well rehearsed line that Sakura's mother had to say so often. However, this did nothing to discourage the young men. They left their names with Sakura's mother and asked her to mention them to Sakura. "You know, just casually. Something 'He dropped by the moment he heard you were ill. It's such a pity you were asleep. He's such a strapping nice young man.'"

The way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

The way to a woman's heart is through her mother.

Probably.

"Yes, I'll be sure to tell her," she promised, almost having to literally push the butcher's persistent son out the front door. "Don't you worry about it."

"I trust you, madam, bu-"

"No, seriously," insisted Sakura's mother with some force, "_don't_ worry about it."

The young man grunted enthusiastically as he left. Sakura's mother quickly closed the door before he could say anything else. She let out a sigh of relief. But her worries weren't over yet. It was fortunate that she was home when Sakura had stumbled through the gate.

Since a young age, Sakura always had a weak immune system. Her body was just unable to handle sudden temperature changes, whether it's from a windy morning to a sunny afternoon or from a humid afternoon to rainy night.

Sakura was home for only a while before she began burning up. Sakura's mother jumped about the living room, where they were having lunch. She couldn't remember where she put the medicine, but Kakashi, who was often freeloading off them by having lunch with them, calmly carried a sleepy Sakura to her bedroom.

.

.

.

After a lonely and quiet dinner, Sakura's mother head to Sakura's bedroom to check her temperature.

She finished tucking her ill daughter into bed when a flash of lighting lit up the room. Thunder was rumbling in the distance. Sakura moaned softly and turned her head slightly. Her mother looked sadly at her and kissed her forehead, just as a tear fell and landed on Sakura's pale cheek.

"Wake up soon, my angel," Sakura's mother whispered and left the room. She was on her way to the kitchen when three sharp knocks echoed throughout the house. Sakura's mother shivered and made her way to the door. The rain was already pelting down with such a great force that it sounded like pebbles were being hurled at the roof.

"Please wait," she called out as she unbolting the door and swiftly opened it. An unfortunately timed flash of lightening lit up the face of whoever was at the door. Sasuke. More thunder rumbled, just to add to the effect.

Sakura's mother almost screamed at the eerie and blank face. Water was dripping from his face as he raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry," Sasuke muttered, though he did not sound like he remotely cared. He didn't even know why this woman was staring at him like he was a ghost. "I only just heard from Yuhi-san that Sakura was sick. Is she ok?"

Sakura's mother nodded silently. The handsome boy at her door nodded stiffly too and shrugged as he began to leave. Sakura's mother blinked as though she had awakened from a trance.

"Where are you going?" she asked gently.

"Home. I only came to see whether Sakura was ok."

Sakura's mother started to feel sorry for the poor boy, whose clothes were already drenched. The rain continued to fall relentlessly. He, too, would be sick if he continued to walk in the cold wet night. Her motherly instincts took over and she called out, "Please come in. You'll get sick if you walk all the way home in this weather."

Sasuke looked at her but did not move.

"Please."

Sakura's mother let out a sigh of relief when she saw that the boy had heard her and decided to do the wise thing. She moved aside to let the wet boy into her home and closed the door quietly behind him.

"Would you like something warm to drink?" asked Sakura's mother kindly.

"No."

Sasuke didn't even look at her. He just stood there, eye closed for a brief moment. Sakura's mother smiled softly. This young man looked decent enough compared to the other visitors who barged into their house. She ran her eyes up and down the young man. She had some of Kakashi's old clothes in the drawers. They were old and faded, but at least they were warm and dry.

"How about you get changed? I have a few old clothes lying around that use to belong to our neighbour..."

"I'm fine, thank you."

"I insist. No one under my roof shall wear wet clothes when there are perfectly fine clothes lying around." She led Sasuke to a room on the other side of the house, filled with big sacks and boxes. In the corner was a small set of drawers. Sakura's mother pulled out the top drawer and pulled out a pair of baggy pants and a loose shirt. They smelt like mothballs.

"You can change in here."

Sasuke looked like he didn't want to but he took the clothes anyway and bowed his head politely. Sakura's mother left the room and smiled, as she gathered her thoughts.

_They_ brought flowers; he brought nothing.

_They_ demanded to see Sakura; he only wanted to know if she was ok.

_They_ dressed up and did their hair; he looked like he'd just run a marathon.

_They_ didn't want to leave; he looked like he didn't want to stay.

How different.

"Please come this way and have a seat," Sakura's mother said when Sasuke finally came out with dry clothes on, gesturing the living room. It was a small room with two armchairs and a feeble looking bookshelf, filled with thick volumes. She took his wet clothes and hung them over a chair. Sasuke followed her slowly, taking in his surroundings. Sakura's mother sat down on one of the arm chairs and gestured the other for Sasuke, lighting a lamp next to her. "What's your name, young man?"

"Sasuke."

How emotionless.

Sakura's mother nodded. "I've known a few Sasukes in my life. What's your family name?"

"Uchiha."

How interesting.

"I see," said Sakura's mother, narrowing her eyes at Sasuke. Yes, she could see the Uchiha family's aristocratic good looks in him. It had been years but she could still remember the great Uchiha's reign. "Then you must be related to those who died in the fire ten years ago."

Sasuke showed no emotion to her but Sakura's mother could sense his slight discomfort. He was silent for so long that Sakura's mother thought perhaps he was ignoring her.

"I _was _related to them," he said finally, glaring at Sakura's mother. She smiled apologetically and nodded slowly.

"I see," she said again and paused briefly. "How do you know my Sakura-chan? No. That's a silly question... You're the town's woodcutter. Everyone knows you... Hmm..."

Sakura's mother trailed off into an uncomfortable silence. Sasuke still wanted to leave. The only reason he was sitting here was because he knew he'd feel bad if he just left without saying a proper thank you. He stared at Sakura's mother blankly as she 'hmm'ed to herself.

"Where is Sakura now?" he asked stiffly.

"Resting. Sleeping, actually. If you want to see her, you shall have to wait until tomorrow," said Sakura's mother cautiously. Perhaps he was like the other ones after all...

"You're mistaken; I don't wish to see her at all to tell the truth," said Sasuke in a deadpan voice. Sakura's mother raised her eyebrows and was about to reprimand Sasuke, he added in an offhanded tone, "No offence. But I think it's odd."

"What is?"

"I moved here two years ago," said Sasuke coolly. "I thought I knew everyone in the town within the first few months, yet I've never seen your daughter until three days ago. Did she just move here?"

"No, she's lived here all of her life," Sakura's mother smiled, but Sasuke noticed how it was slightly forced. "It's just that Sakura doesn't go out much. And when she does...I... I make sure that there is a boundary and time limit."

"Why is that? She seems capable," Sasuke paused and tried to correct himself, "most of the time."

Sakura's mother laughed. It was weak and humourless.

"Surely, you have noticed her behaviour? She could get hurt or deceived so easily, and she'd still think it was a game or something," Sakura's mother sounded bitter now. She fiddled with her fingers, staring at them intently. "It's not safe for her."

Sasuke looked at the woman opposite him, feeling slightly confused and annoyed. Sakura was growing up and her mother was suppressing her like this? _He'd_ started living by himself when he was just eight. True, he was given no choice but to live that way, but he enjoyed his solitude those past years. Sasuke understood where Sakura's mother was coming from; Sakura was ditzy, and dare he say or think it, stupid, and not to mention she was a girl, but being denied her freedom, a luxury that most teenagers enjoyed? It was somewhat ridiculous.

"I agree," Sasuke said, with a single nod. "But is a time limit and boundary necessary? My parents-"

"Yes, I know," said Sakura's mother softly. "You are a son of the Uchiha. Everyone knew the Uchiha. They were rich and owned large pieces of land. You wouldn't understand what my daughter..." She stopped and looked at Sasuke, with intense eyes. "You look very much like your brother."

Sasuke stiffened and scowled. He didn't like speaking of his brother, who had abandoned him when he needed him most. Sakura's mother sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose tightly.

"Uchiha will always be Uchiha, I guess. Maybe if you knew, you would understand...I will tell you what happened to my Sakura-chan..."

.

.

.

_[Flashback:: Eight Years Ago]_

_Once upon a time, there was a little girl. She was the cutest little eight year old in the country, with long pink hair and big green eyes. But it wasn't her looks that made her so lovable; it was her sharp tongue. The witty remarks she said seemed so out of place coming out of the mouth of someone so young._

"_...and then the three bears came home and found that someone had eaten their porridge!" read Sakura's mother, with an exaggerated gasp, looking at her daughter with wide shocked eyes. Mother and daughter were sitting cross legged on Sakura's bed, both were wearing their nightgowns. Sakura was leaning on her mother's arm as she read from a worn out book in the dim light of a candlestick._

_Sakura pouted._

"_Goldilocks isn't very smart, is she?" she remarked, with a raised eyebrow. "Who would wonder into a stranger's home and start eating their food? Or sitting in their chair? Or sleeping in their beds? It's too unbelievable."_

_Sakura's mother chuckled. "How do you think we met Kakashi-san?"_

_Sakura rolled her eyes and sat up straight. "I don't like that man. He's different. I miss Tsunade-chan."_

"_Yes, but Tsunade is moving to Dan's house, remember?" reminded Sakura's mother, poking her daughter lightly on her nose._

"_Wouldn't it be more reasonable if Dan-san moved here? Tsunade-san's work, friends and home is here. Her patients are here too. What if I get sick?" ranted Sakura, pointing to herself with her small hands. "That Kakashi is so uptight. I heard that anyone who gets close to him dies..."_

"_Sakura! Who told you such a thing? Was it that blonde girl from the florist? What have I told to you about gossiping?"_

"_Okaasan, please. It was hardly 'gossiping'," sniffed Sakura indignantly. "I wouldn't talk to that pig even if you paid me."_

"_Sakura-chan, enough," said her mother strictly. She closed the book and glared at her daughter sternly. "You can go to sleep now. Goodnight dear."_

_As she leaned in to kiss Sakura's forehead, Sakura said, "How can I sleep knowing that there's a child murderer out there?"_

_Sakura's mother froze, her lips hovering above Sakura, who stared expectantly at her mother. The topic of Orochimaru still at large was an avoided topic around children. The man had taken many people and ended up killing them. Most of them were children._

"_You ask too many questions, sweetie," said Sakura's mother quietly. She kissed Sakura lightly and left the room with the candle. "Goodnight."_

"_Goodnight, mother."_

_Sakura frowned in the dark. Her mother was so annoying sometimes. Actually, all adults were annoying. They spoke to Sakura like she knew nothing, but sometimes she felt like she knew more than the adults. When they talked, all she heard was "Blah, blah, blah..."_

_It wasn't her fault that she was so small and 'adorable'._

_Oh, how she hated it when old ladies would pinch her cheeks (painfully) and lean in close so that she could feel (and smell) their breath. She hated how often her mother would tell her that wandering off on her own was going to 'be the death of her'._

_Who told that to an eight year old? Honestly?_

_The next morning was cool and breezy. The air was crisp and just a bit chilly, however, it was nothing a light jacket couldn't handle. Sakura always woke up before her mother and watched the sky from her window. There wasn't a single cloud _that _morning. It was autumn, when the trees were gold, red and brown. It was so beautiful _that _morning, how could anyone have seen an omen?_

_It was possible that Sakura had spent longer than usual watching the blue sky, because her mother was getting restless, calling her name._

"_Sakuraa! If I have you call you once more, you can just forget about having breakfast," shouted Sakura's mother, loud enough for the whole street to hear. Sakura pouted and slid off her bed. She changed into her clothes slowly, just to annoy her mother._

"_I'm coming, I'm coming," yelled Sakura, when her mother began to tap something, probably a spoon, on the tables loudly. She ran to the kitchen and sat in her chair like a goof girl._

"_Don't look like that," said her mother sternly when Sakura made a face at the bowl of porridge that was put in front of her. "Your face will stay like that."_

"_No, it won't," said Sakura. "There's a blonde boy in the next village who makes lots of faces and he still looks the same."_

"_Huh... Really? What do his parents say?"_

_Sakura shrugged as she spooned some honey from its jar and into her bowl. Her mother tutted._

"_Sakura, don't shrug like that. It's un-ladylike."_

"_Well, that doesn't matter. I'm only eight. I've still got a couple of years before I'm a lady."_

"_You have something to say for everything, don't you?"_

"_You tell me, mother. You're the one who has to listen," gurgled Sakura, mouth full of oatmeal._

"_Don't speak with your mouth full."_

"_Then don't talk to me while I'm eating."_

_Sakura's mother quickly hid a smile and said briskly, "We have to go to the butcher's today."_

_Sakura shuddered. "I don't like the butcher's. Can I stay home?"_

_Sakura's mother sat opposite her at the table and looked appalled at the idea. "Alone?" she whispered. "What kind of parent leaves their eight year old at home alone?"_

"_Ino's, Chouji's, Shikamaru's-"_

"_Not the point, Sakura," said Sakura's mother with a small frown. "I don't like the idea of you being by yourself. Now, I know you don't like the butcher's-"_

"_Or his son," Sakura quickly interjected. "He keeps following me around."_

"_He's just being friendly," explained Sakura's mother. Sakura pouted. "Anyway, if you come with me, I'll buy you a new book. How about that?"_

_Sakura looked at the mother carefully. "A _proper_ book? Like for grownups?"_

"_Yes, fine, whatever," Sakura's mother waved her hand dismissively. Sakura grinned cheekily._

"_Alrighty," she sang happily and slurped the rest of the porridge as fast as she could._

"_Don't slurp."_

"_Don't expect me to eat quickly then."_

_Within the next ten minutes, Sakura finished her porridge, brushed her teeth, washed her face and put on her boots. Sakura's mother held up a jacket, but Sakura shook her head._

"_I don't wanna wear a jacket," whined Sakura, jumping up and down. "No, no, no, no, no, no-"_

"Alright!_ Fine," sighed her mother, throwing the jacket on the back of a chair. Mother and daughter left without another word._

_By the time they arrived at the butcher's, there was a crowd of people outside of the butcher's. There was a discounted price on meat today. Sakura's mother pursed her lips as they stood outside, waiting to even enter the store. Sakura continually tugged on her mother's sleeve, just out of boredom._

_When the smell of meat filled Sakura's nostrils, she tugged harder on her mother's sleeve._

"_I'm bored," whined Sakura loudly. "Can I go out and play?"_

_Sakura's mother looked at the long queue and then at her little girl and then at the queue again. She cast a suspicious look upon her daughter._

"Fine_. But you are not to leave this area. You can just go outside. Understand?"_

"_Yeess, Mootheerr," Sakura rolled her eyes before jumping up and kissing her mother on the cheek. She ran outside quickly, just as a breeze was picking up. She shivered. She should have worn that jacket. When Sakura realised that there were no other children around, she sighed and made a face. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a stray tabby cat, playing with something in her paws. Sakura walked up to it slowly and saw that the cat was fiddling with a very small dead snake._

"_Eugh," said Sakura loudly. The cat looked up and sped off behind the store. Sakura followed it. She thought over what her mother had said. She wasn't technically leaving the area, Sakura thought happily as she stepped behind the building. The cat was already gone, but Sakura saw something far more interesting. There was an alleyway behind the store. Sakura giggled as she walked into it and then walked to the end. The sides of the alley way were littered with bags of five day old lamb chops and pig feet. Sakura made a face at them but brightened up when she saw another alley attached to the end. She realised that there was a series of alleyways, crisscrossing like a maze._

"_Wheeee!" she cried as she ran down another one and then another and then another. She finally stopped when her lungs were burning and her legs wouldn't move properly. For a few minutes, Sakura sat down on the cold ground, catching her breath. She stretched lazily and stood up._

_Now which way had she come...?_

_Sakura shrugged and began to walk randomly. She noticed how quiet it was compared to the loud bustling of the market square, where the butcher's was._

_A bit too quiet. She couldn't even hear any birds, but she dismissed the thought. Sakura knew that young children were often imaginative. When Sakura turned into yet another alley, she saw little circles on the ground. They were a few inches apart and stretched to the end of the alley. For the fun of it, Sakura followed them. They lead her around in a circle and then finally to a dead end._

_Sakura crouched down to inspect the drops. They were black and shiny. Curiosity overcame her and she touched the drops, which to her surprise were still wet. And red. Sakura's mouth opened slowly when she realised that the drops weren't black but a sickening dark red. She fell back onto her bottom and gaped at her sticky fingertips._

"_Wh-what is this...?" she whispered in horror. But she already knew the answer. Blood. Someone's blood. Sakura's lower lip began to tremble._

_Sakura scrambled to her feet when she heard a stomach-churning choke. The person who's blood this belonged to was still around. Should she run? Should she cry for help? There was a shuffling of footsteps behind a wall and a raspy breathing._

_Curiosity killed the cat._

_Sakura staggered towards the wall, taking in quick shallow breathes. Her feet felt heavy and slow, but Sakura didn't want to leave. She was slightly disturbed but too intrigued. Sakura paused and hugged herself with her shaking arms. _

"_...that it? Such a waste for a Uchiha," laughed a voice softly. Cruelly. Sakura heard a man talking behind the wall. She looked up and around the area, realising that whoever it was, was standing in a door-less, roofless room. It was the area where the garbage cans were stored when they weren't being used. The sun was shining brightly down on the area._

"_Come on. Get up. Keep running," teased the man. Who was he talking to? Sakura approached the wall and edged towards the doorway. There was a hoarse response and the man snorted. "This was too easy. I don't like doing easy tasks..."_

_Sakura heard gravel crunch._

"_Maybe your brother will give me a more of a challenge," sneered the voice. There was a soft hiss from the second person._

"_Leave...my...you...bastard," choked the second person. It was also a male voice, but it was strained. "Bas...tard...You-"_

_He was interrupted with a violent coughing fit. The first man laughed loudly. Too loudly. Sakura covered her ears. She didn't want to hear the cruel laughter or the sound of the other man dying._

"_Mother," whimpered Sakura softly and began to cry silently. Her legs would no longer move. She wanted to run away from the abandoned alleyway. She wanted to find her mother and never leave her side. She wanted to find Ino-chan and apologize for all the mean things that she'd said to her. She wanted to go home and crawl into her bed._

_A loud snap brought Sakura back to her senses. It was followed by a guttural cry of pain. The first man had just kicked the second one._

"_You're boring me," stated the first man dangerously. Sakura shivered at his tone and finally gathered up the enormous amount of courage to peek into the room. The sight she saw would surely scare her forever. _

_A body._

_No, not even a body. It was a living lump of bruised flesh and broken bones that lied on the floor, behind a trashcan._

_Sakura noticed that one of his legs was disturbingly twisted and bent the wrong way. She shivered as she saw the first man stand over the broken body. He had long black hair, tied loosely into a low ponytail, with loose strands of hair framing him thin white face. Sakura could see his thin lips stretched into a mocking smile._

"_Uchiha, Uchiha, Uchiha," he said tauntingly, looking down at the body. He licked his lips hungrily and crouched down. The second person shuddered. Sakura wished that she could see his face, but he had his back to her. "Family of child prodigies, right? Skilled in everything they do. Pity you weren't smart enough to evade me..."_

_The second person took in a long breathe and let it out shakily._

"_Go. To. Hell. You. Snakey. Bastard," he gasped. The first man stood up and kicked him in the ribs brutally. Two loud snaps filled the air. Sakura was shaking like never before. It was like her soul had been lifted up and out her body and forced to watch the scene before her. Her hands clutched the edge of the door frame tightly. It was horribly silent. The lump stopped moving._

_Breathing._

_Shaking._

_Living._

"_Not even worth claiming as a trophy," the first man commented lamely as he stared at the body. He stepped over the body and looked up. A little girl was staring at him with horror and disgust. He smiled and licked his lips again. A new challenge. And so young, too. Perfect. The poor thing probably couldn't even move a muscle. He chuckled. She was just like the rest of _them_._

"_Hello, little one," he hissed softly, arms slowly reaching out. He took small steps towards Sakura. He looked like an owner who was trying to recapture his escaped pet, not to make any sudden moves to startle them. "Want to play a game with me?"_

_Sakura gritted her teeth together. She may not have been able to move but she could still think. As the man moved closer to her, she could see his facial features more clearly. Strange yellow eyes, with slits as pupils..._

Like a cat... No, a snake, _thought Sakura._

"_What kind of game?" Sakura was glad that she could speak, and even happier that she didn't stutter or stammer, but the volume of her voice could barely be heard. The man's smile grew wider, until he was showing all of his teeth._

"_It's called 'Hide and Seek'," he said very quietly, with a possessed look in his eyes. "I was playing it with him, but I found him too soon."_

_This did nothing to generate any reaction from Sakura, who looked at the man with a stony face. His smile faltered slightly but nonetheless he continued speaking._

"_How about this?" he offered. "You go hide and I'll seek. If I find you within 2 minutes, you lose and I get to kill you. If I find you after 2 minutes, I won't kill you and I'll even make you one of my trophies. How about it?"_

"_What makes you so sure that you find me at all?" challenged Sakura. The man laughed at her question, shaking his head slowly. Sakura had not meant to ask him that, but her brain had begun to go into overdrive and her heart began to thump painfully against her chest._

"_Haha. I like you... What's your name?"_

"_..."_

"_Ah yesss..." he said softly, emphasizing the 's' in 'yes'. "No giving away personal details to strangers, right? How about this... I'll tell you _my_ name in exchange for yours?"_

"_Why... _Why _would I want you know _your_ name?" she spat angrily. Sakura hated the way he spoke to her. Like she was an idiot. No, she was not an idiot. Sakura knew very well that he could have just killed her the moment he saw her. She shivered when she thought of death. Goldilocks faced the three bears and didn't die. She just ran away at the end. Sakura was determined to do the same. Just run. Find a way out and just run._

_But the man hissed furiously and snarled, "Because my name is great, you little brat! You probably know my name already, yes?"_

_He reached out and twirled his finger around a lock of Sakura's hair. Sakura flinched violently._

Do it, now. Do it now! _cried a voice in her head. _Now! Now! Now!

_Sakura bit down on the man's hand. She made sure her teeth clamped down as hard as they could. The man didn't yell, as she thought that he would, but hissed violently like an animal. Automatically, he slapped her on the side of the head. A cold sweat broke out all over Sakura's body and tears sprung into her eyes, but she wouldn't let go. In fact, she bit harder and finally broke through his white skin. A tiny amount of blood seeped into her mouth and Sakura tasted the metallic flavour of blood. The man slapped her again and she finally let go._

_Sakura spat out as much of the taste as she could. Her instinct was to run and find her mother, but she couldn't see properly. Her head felt heavy and the side of her face burned painfully._

"_Sakura! I specifically _told_ you _not_ to leave the building. You are so grounded, young lady!" screeched her mother's voice. Sakura instinctively turned in the direction of the voice. The man, who was a nothing more than a colourful blurry silhouette in Sakura's vision, noticed her reaction._

"_This'll be fun," he chuckled darkly. Sakura rubbed her eyes with both hands. She stumbled backwards until she fell over onto her back painfully. All of a sudden, she felt as though she couldn't breathe. She writhed on the floor weakly, rolling onto her side and finally stomach, where she took in a deep breath._

"_I know you're here, Sakura," yelled her mother. Sakura opened her mouth to yell back. Scream something. A word; a noise, it didn't matter. Quickly, the man grabbed her and covered her mouth with his unbitten hand._

"_Oh, no, no, you don't. You're far too feisty to let go. Much better than that Uchiha boy," the man said lifting her up. Sakura kicked viciously and twisted her body but his grip was too strong. He grinned at her struggling. This was fun. He quickly looked around the abandoned alley and ran to the end of it. There was another, much narrower, darker, pathway. It was only about two feet wide. The man, with Sakura still in his arms, stepped into it._

_Sakura, who had given up kicking, looked around jerkily. Her mother was looking for her. That was all the motivation that she needed. Sakura twisted in his arms again. He began to laugh again but Sakura twisted sideways, so that it was almost like he was carrying her bridal style, and kicked off the wall as hard as she could. The man didn't expect it. The small force caught him by surprise. It knocked him back into the other wall. Sakura took the chance to push away his arms. She fell and landed on her shoulders and then head._

_A sickening crack, for the fourth time in fifteen minutes, filled the air. Sakura's body went disturbingly still._

"_Oh shit," muttered the man in a disappointed, sad voice, like a child who broke his new toy on Christmas day. He crouched down and automatically tried to find the girl's heartbeat. "Come on. You were going to be one of my trophies..."_

_He smiled gleefully when he found a weak thumping. He lifted Sakura again and threw her other his shoulder like a sack of grain. He ignored the red sticky mat of hair on the left of her head and began whistling a cheerful tune._

_When he emerged on the other side of the alley, he looked around carefully. There were only a few people but they were working on their farms. His instincts told him to wait but he ignored them. It would be more exciting to carry the body in broad daylight under the noses of the stupid villagers._

"_S-Sakura! Sakura-chan?" shouted a boy's voice. The man looked around and saw a small boy around the girl's age. And before he could do anything, the boy started screaming at the top of his lungs, "I foooooouuuunnd heeeeerr!"_

_One by one, men and women appeared behind the boy, who was pointing at Sakura dramatically. One woman stepped forward and took her from the man's arms._

"_Thank you, thank you," she sobbed. The man wanted nothing more than to hurt the woman who had just taken his trophy from him. Then she saw Sakura's bleeding head and cried out in shock._

"_Haruno-san! What's wrong?"_

_The villager gathered around the man and Sakura's mother. The man stayed silent. He didn't like big crowds. He hid his fidgeting hands in his pant pockets._

"_What happened?" the woman whispered to him, her tear stricken face fearful._

"_I was just passing by an alleyway and I saw her skipping around. She tripped. And then she fell and hit her head. I was looking for her mother," said the man, showing no emotion, but his eyes were furious. However, no one noticed as all of their eyes were on Sakura's bleeding head. "I have to go now," he said through gritted teeth._

"_What? No, you saved my daughter. Please, please... How can I ever repay you?"_

"_Just... Nothing. Make sure she stays healthy and alive. I may come and visit her again."_

_And with that, Orochimaru left._

_._

_._

_._

"...And by the time we got her back, there was nothing that could be done. She's been like this ever since. It's like a reverse of personalities," sighed Sakura's mother, wiping her eyes as discreetly as she could. Sasuke's emotionless face wasn't helping. "Anyway, when we looked around the area, we found another body of a young boy, but we couldn't identify him."

"Did you know the name of the man who had her?"

"No... but," Sakura's mother smiled very weakly, "I keep thinking what would have happened if he hadn't found Sakura. We were very lucky that he found her. She could have died."

At that moment, Sakura turned on her side and smiled in her sleep. She dreamt of running freely in a meadow with a hawk flying above her.

* * *

A/N: I apologize profusely to all of my readers. You guys are the best and thank you for being so patient with me. I'm sorry about the last piece I posted. I wrote it quickly and I only posted it because I felt like it'd been too long since my last post. It's completely random and not meant to be canon to the rest of the story. But this chapter is the longest so far. I hope you liked it.

Now, on a less happy not, I won't be updating for a bit. I have an essay due on Macbeth and then subject selections for Year 11. Fun right?

But since I love all of you so much, here's a teaser:

"_You like her, don't you?" Kakashi asked slowly, his mouth dropping open. Sasuke looked coldly at him._

"_Don't be ridiculous. I just feel protective towards her, that's all," he snapped. Kakashi shrugged._

"_That good enough for me; you like Sakura!"_

Is that enough? More? Fiiiine, if you say so:

"_Don't go."_

_Sasuke's words lingered in the air. For a second, he thought that Sakura hadn't heard him._

"_Eh?"_

_Yup, she hadn't heard him._

"_Don't leave. It's too dangerous out there. Stay here."_

Until later, tooodles ;)

Elle.


	5. OmakeTWO

_Omake II (AU)_

_Lights. Camera._

_Action!_

"Next! Now, you are number 8373; Haruno, Sakura?"

"Yes, that's me."

"And I believe you are interested in the role of 'Red Riding Hood'?"

"Yes, sir."

"It says on your application that you've done a fair bit of work on television, but only minor characters, am I correct?"

"Yes, sir, b-but I feel confident about taking on a lead role."

"Is that so? Well, our most of our other leading roles have been cast and they made it an easy choice for us, but so far the candidates for 'Red Riding Hood' are all very impressive. We had well known actress Karin fly in all the way from Southern France just to give us a five minute audition. Do you think you can beat her performance?"

"I assure you, sir, that I feel as though nothing could stop me."

"That's the spirit. Now, we require you to perform two pieces. The first one is of your own choice and the second one will be chosen for you by us. Both pieces will be from the script you were sent, is that clear?"

"Yes."

"Feel free to start whenever you're ready."

"Thank you."

_Long pause._

"I'm sorry. C-can I just have a moment?"

"Don't worry. Just take your time..."

"Right. Thank you."

_Clears throat._

" _'It's not your fault, Woodcutter-kun. Do you know what this means? It was meant to be—_' "

"Ok, I'll stop you there. Thank you for coming in today. We'll let you know shortly—"

"I liked it."

"Uchiha-san!"

"It was better than Karin's performance."

"Well, this girl has only said one line. That's not enough to deter—"

"I said, _I liked it_."

"Yes, yes b-but Uchiha-san, we can't just base the casting on your opin—"

"Take her, or you'll have to give the role of the 'Woodcutter' to Naruto."

_Shudder. Gulp._

"I-I don't believe we've m-met. Hi, my name is Saku—"

"I don't care. So long as your name isn't Karin, you can have the stupid role."

"Aah, Uchiha-san, if this is about your recent conflicts with Karin, then surely we can sort something out...?"

"Are you forgetting who's producing this movie?"

"...You are..."

"Good. And change the name of the movie. The redhead isn't starring anymore, _she_ is."

"Y-you want to change the name of the movie to 'Little _Pink_ Riding Hood'?"

"Yes."

"Err. Umm...very well? I guess I could make a few changes to the script... Congratulations girl... You got the part..."

"Oh my god... _Thank you! _I _swear_ I won't let you down! You won't regret it."

_Sigh._

"We'll send you the finalised script in a few days. It'll come with information on when we're shooting. You may go out and discuss detail with my assistant outside."

"_Thank you, thank you!_"

_Leaves._

"Oh my god... I don't believe we just gave up Karin for a nobody..."

"The fans will kill us... we've already leaked to the media that Karin will be appearing in the movie..."

"Who the hell is Sakura Haruno anyway? Have any of you guys seen her in any shows?"

"No."

"Nup."

"Nup."

"Nah."

"Yes."

"Come again, Uchiha-san?"

"She did a fantastic job on _Medic Mayhem _and _The Easy Way_. I have all of her shows on DVD."

"...I shotgun not telling Karin."

* * *

a/n: was that fun? did you think it was an actual chapter...? gomen nasai! i'm sooo close to getting off my lazy bum and posting chapter four, but you know what else is close? school certificate trials... for all you non-aussies, thats the big bunch of exams that yr 10 (or _grade _10_) _kids take in australia. yup, gonna fail maths...

but on a brighter note, you know that macbeth thing that i had to do...? oh yeh, who got 14/15? that's right... about a quarter of the class, but heck, i'm in that quarter :)

so anyway, i dont expect much feedback from you guys for this lousy excuse of a chapter, but it would be greatly appreciated if you reviewed anyway. the 50 reviews milestone is yet to be reached.

oh and btw, due to the evil exams, i shan't be updated in about a month...? sooorryyy! i love you guys so much, it makes me feel so guilty when i cant even posted chapters on time :(

Elle.


	6. ChapterFOUR: Leaving

ChapterFOUR

A remake of the original 'Little Red Riding Hood', starring Haruno Sakura as Red Riding Hood, Uchiha Sasuke as the Woodcutter, and Orochimaru as the Big Bad Wolf. Coming soon to a theatre near you. –Warning: Mature audiences recommended; includes mature themes–

_._

_._

_Previously:_

"And, please, _please_ do not go outside of the town."

"Don't worry, mother. I'll be fine by myself."

.

"If you fall, I'll just let you lie on the ground in pain..."

.

"I only came to see whether Sakura was ok. I don't wish to see her at all."

.

"I miss Tsunade-chan. What if I get sick?"

_._

"I don't like the butcher's. Or his son. He keeps following me around."

_._

_One morning, Little Red Riding Hood asked her mother if she could go to visit her grandmother as it had been a while since they'd seen each other._

_"That's a good idea," her mother said. So they packed a nice basket for Little Red Riding Hood to take to her grandmother._

.

.

_/ / Little._

_Pink._

_Riding._

_Hood. __/ /_

_._

_._

_._

"Saaaasuukeee-kuuunn!"

God, does this feel like déjà vu or not? Sasuke grunted and turned on his side; which, unfortunately him but entertainingly for Sakura, was a bad idea as he fell off the couch and landed on his ribcage.

"Why are you here?" grumbled Sasuke thickly, slowly rolling onto his back on the floor. It was the second day in a row where he woke up to the sound of Sakura's voice. And that was two days too many for him. Sakura stood next to him, her short hair framing her face that morning. Sasuke automatically looked away and sat up when he realised that she was wearing a nightgown, which he could very easily look up.

"Eh? I should be the one asking that," pouted Sakura, folding her arms over her chest, to which Sasuke was slightly grateful for. "This is _my_ house! Isn't it great? Oh, oh! Sasuke-kun, do you want to see my room?"

"Uh, I-" Sasuke said, looking around. He was in Sakura's living room. Her mother had managed to convince Sasuke to stay after a particularly large clap of lightning. "Maybe later."

Sakura looked disappointed and sighed but perked up almost immediately.

"Sasuke, Sasuke! Would you like to have breakfast with me?"

"No."

"What? Why?"

"I don't want to."

"That's _mean,_ Sasuke-kun. You're such a bully sometimes," Sakura giggled. Sasuke shrugged and stood up quickly. Too quickly. He paused when his vision began to spin. Sakura tugged on his arm impatiently. "I can make pancakes!"

"That's nice."

"No, seriously! I learnt how to make pancakes! And they're really yummy," grinned Sakura. Sasuke rolled his at her in an obvious manner, just so that she could see. He didn't want her to know that he ate her cakes. He especially didn't want her to know that he thought they were delicious. She'd never let him forget that if she found out.

"I don't care about your pancakes, Sakura. I need to get home now. And you should go back to bed. You're probably contagious. Don't touch me. In fact, don't even breathe near me."

"Aww, you're just being silly. I'm not contagious; I feel great! Come on!" Sakura grabbed Sasuke's wrist and began to drag him to the kitchen. With Sasuke's strength, he could have easily pushed Sakura away or just stopped walking and Sakura wouldn't be able to do anything about it. But Sasuke allowed himself to be pulled along like a reluctant puppy on a leash. "Now, what kind of pancakes does Sasuke-kun like?"

"Don't care. Let go of me."

"I bet you like chocolate!"

"No. Let go."

"Whyyy? _Everybody_ likes chocolate!"

"Tell that to my dead dog. Now, let go of me."

"_Chocoolaaaatte!_" Sakura sang loudly.

Sasuke sighed in defeat. "Yes, I like chocolate."

"Really?"

"No, I lied. I hate chocolate."

Sakura skipped her final steps in the kitchen, causing Sasuke to awkwardly jog behind her. She forced him to sit in a stool while she ran about the kitchen, gathering ingredients and equipment. In the process, she dropped 3 eggs and spilt at least half a cup of milk on the ground. Finally, when the sack of flour exploded into a cloud of white dust, Sasuke literally, physically and quite happily, stood up and head butted a wall.

"I must have used too much strength to open it, Sasuke-kun! But, don't worry—"

"Shut up. Go and get changed into something proper. I'll clean up," growled Sasuke as the flour-cloud settled. He watched as Sakura obediently set down the bowl she was holding and thought what a miracle it was that she hadn't smashed it yet.

"But—"

Sakura stumbled slightly as she approached Sasuke. He immediately cringed away when he thought that she was going to touch him. That was the last thing that he needed; Sakura's white hands all over him.

"Where the hell is your mother anyway?" Sasuke asked. Sakura screwed up her face as though she were in pain.

"I think... she said... that... she was... going to go to... work...?"

Sasuke stared at Sakura. "I'm leaving. You can clean this up yourself. Don't follow me. Don't talk to me."

"Eh? Don't go yet... You haven't had breakfast yet. And starting your day on an empty stomach is–"

But Sakura was pushed aside impatiently. She looked at Sasuke just to see him facepalm himself twice and then exit the kitchen.

"Hey, wait..."

Sasuke stopped walking for a split second before realising his mistake. His brain almost went into a frenzy, ordering his legs to _move move move now now now. _But alas, it was too late and Sakura had started speaking again.

"Can I come and have breakfast at your place? Please, Sasuke-kun?"

"No."

"Well, can I—"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"No."

"Ohh..."

"_Goodbye_, Sakura."

* * *

A plump stall owner was whistling a merry tune as she rearranged the oranges when a young man with a sullen face appeared. It was almost noon but the weather was still chilly and only a few beams of sunlight made it through the clouds. Dark puddles spread along the uneven path leading up to the market square but it didn't discourage villagers from leaving their home and buying a few things to eat. Konoha was a village where you never kept a tomato your home for more than 2 days. If you bought things in batches, you were an idiot. Why keep things when you can just go and get them fresh every day?

"Freshly picked," the stall owner said with a toothy grin. Sasuke looked at the red fruit emotionlessly and picked one up, squeezing it gently. It skin was cool to touch and a bright mouth-watering red.

"Hn."

The stall owner watched Sasuke's face carefully, not wanting to lose her only customer.

"Bargain today! A dozen tomatoes for only two silver pieces!" she rambled on enthusiastically as Sasuke smelt the sweet aroma of the tomato he was holding.

"I'll take ten dozens."

The stall owner froze and then let out a shaky laugh. It was difficult to even sell six dozens in a week.

"I'm sorry, honey, I'm afraid I've only got—"

She hesitated when she saw the slight glimmer of light disappear from Sasuke's eyes. He no longer looked liked a satisfied customer. Far from it.

Now, there were a few techniques that Sasuke could use to get his way. The two most effective were a) flirting, because it would be a pity if he let his good looks go to waste and he had been blessed for a reason. And yes, taking advantage of a middle ages stall owner counted as a reason. But there was also b) being the intimidating young man that he was. Sasuke had the power to become even colder and more distant than he ready was. It terrified people to see a man with such cruelty and emptiness in his eyes.

Sasuke opted for b).

"You've only got what?" he asked loftily, gripping the tomato tightly. The stall owner shook her head quickly and said, "I meant, I-I have more in the back. Maybe. J-just let me—"

"SASUKE-KUN! LOOK HERE! HELLOOO!"

Sasuke resisted the urge to facepalm. He knew he shouldn't have come out in broad daylight. It was far too easy to be detected by certain people

"Shut up."

"Why?"

"People will think that I know you..."

"But I _do_ know you."

Sasuke sighed and turned his back on her but Sakura was persistent.

"Whatcha buying?"

"Nothing."

"Liar!" Sakura cried excitedly, jumping up and down. "You're buying tomatoes!"

Sasuke scowled heavily when he saw that the stall owner was smiling affectionately at him and Sakura. It sent shivers through his body.

"Go away. You're giving people the wrong impression."

"What kind of impression?"

"The kind that's wrong and bad for my health. If you cared about me enough, you'd get lost."

"What happens when I don't, eh?" Sakura said teasingly. Sasuke eyeballed her carefully and then looked over her shoulder.

"_They_ come and beat the crap out of me," said Sasuke rather impatiently yet nonchalantly. He jerked his head towards a group of boys who were staring intently at Sakura. "They look as though they'd kill me if you got any closer, so go away and play with your dolls or something."

Sakura looked at the group, who immediately appeared to be engrossed with a watermelon nearby, and made a noise halfway between a groan and a whimper. "Oh no, it's them."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, a certain feeling stirring in his chest. Was it concern? Worry? No, no, no. it can't be. Those emotions didn't exist in him anymore.

"Can you see the ugly one?" Sakura leaned forward and whispered. Sasuke looked up from Sakura's face to over her shoulder, just in time to see the look on the group's face change from pure hate to pure murderous. Oh great.

"Which ugly one? They're all ugly."

The situation somehow became worse when Sakura snorted in surprise and began to giggle, resting a hand lightly on Sasuke's bare arm. It was warm. One of Sakura's fanboys began to walk towards Sasuke. Fan-frekking-tastic. Sasuke knocked Sakura's hand away quickly and growled at her, ignoring how cold he now felt. Sakura blinked at him several times, as she always annoyingly did, but showed no emotion.

"Sakura-chan, this guy bothering you?"

Sasuke scowled again. The young man who had approached them was sizing Sasuke up; other than the fact that he was wider built than Sasuke, he would have no hope if it came down to a fight. Sasuke glared at him, wondering how on earth it looked like he was bothering Sakura. Oh right, the whole intimidating-young-man-with-cold-dead-eyes thing...

"No, no, no," laughed Sakura lightly, though Sasuke thought it sounded forced. "H-he was...errmm... I mean, uh... I was just..."

"I see..." said the young man slowly. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him and that seemed to light an invisible fuse. "Look, if I see you bothering my Sakura-chan again, I swear that I'll kill you. I'll protect Sakura with my life and I don't intend to break my promise."

"What the hell are you talking about? I don't have the time or patience to be talking to the likes of you," replied Sasuke coolly. "And _your_ Sakura-chan? Don't talk about her as though she were your possession. Nothing more than an object or tool, simply existing for your own purposes. You don't really care about Sakura. To you, she's just a pretty thing that you can put on display and show off to your friends. Nothing more. People like you sicken me. You don't deserve anyone like her. She's more than just a pretty thing."

The young man and Sakura gaped at Sasuke.

"Don't bother. I'm not in the mood anymore," snapped Sasuke at the stall owner who had just reappeared, pulling on a small trolley, full to the brim with freshly picked tomatoes. "I'll be back tomorrow."

With a final glare at the young man, the stall owner and also Sakura, Sasuke stuck his hands in his pockets moodily and walked home.

* * *

"...And then he called them ugly and yelled at the butcher's son and then stomped off and then the butcher's son started crying and then ran away and then I came home and then I started telling you this story... Well, the end!"

Kakashi applauded unsurely. Sakura beamed widely and took a brownie from the plate of brownies that her mother had given Kakashi before she left for work. The two neighbours were sitting on Kakashi's porch, legs dangly over the edge.

"Are you sure it was Sasuke?" he asked slowly, watching Sakura nibble on the brownie like a mouse. "He sounds a bit too... _emotional_ to be the woodcutter..."

"It _was_! I _swear_ to _God_ that it was _Sasuke_," Sakura whined loudly, kicking her legs angrily. Kakashi laughed and raised his hands in defence.

"Ok, ok. I guess the butcher's son didn't take it very well?"

"_Didn't _you _hear_ me say that he _cried_ and _ran away_?"

"Sakura-chan, I do believe I doubt your recounting skills. You tend to over exaggerate things. And does that boy even have a name? Or do you keep intending on calling him 'the butcher's son'?"

Sakura stopped kicking and shrugged. "I don't care. I don't like the way he says my name. It's really creepy. But, but, you should have heard the way Sasuke talked to him! He was soo..."

Kakashi almost choked when Sakura stopped talking and buried her face in her hands. She stayed motionless for a while before bending over and squealing excitedly.

"Excuse me?"

"He defended me and said I was a pretty thing!" beamed Sakura, straightening up and making the peace sign with her fingers. Kakashi chuckled again and scratched his face. "He called me pretty! Sasuke called me pretty!"

"Who called you pretty?" Sakura's mother smiled warmly at her daughter as she passed Kakashi's house. Sakura jumped up, wiping away crumbs from her mouth clumsily and dusting her other hand on her dress.

"Come on, Sakura," her mother said, "let's not bother Kakashi anymore. He's probably... busy."

She eyed the orange book that Kakashi had on his lap. Sakura nodded quickly and waved at Kakashi happily as she skipped out of his gate. Her mother began to dust her daughter's shoulder and called out to Kakashi, "Kakashi-san, we're going to the Nara's house for lunch, so I won't be able to make you anything to eat—"

"Don't worry, Haruno-san," Kakashi assured. "I _do_ know how to cook. Enjoy your lunch."

"Oh... Well... good. We'll see you later, Kakashi. Wave goodbye, Sakura," ordered Sakura's mother quickly. Sakura waved obediently. Kakashi waved back rather dully as they left. The only thing he could 'cook' was a fruit salad. Kakashi was good at chopping stuff up. He was also good at making fires, unfortunately they were often too large for kitchen use.

"Oi. Where's Sakura?"

Kakashi looked calmly at Sasuke. He was carrying a hamper with a pink bow on it.

"You just missed her. She's having lunch at the Nara's," Kakashi said. Sasuke scowled heavily, glaring at Kakashi as though it were his fault. Kakashi glared back. "What have you got there?"

"Picnic basket," mumbled Sasuke. Kakashi thought he looked embarrassed. "I wanted to return it to Sakura."

Yup, definitely embarrassed.

"And I have clothes that I want to give back too."

Kakashi stopped smirking and gave Sasuke a look of disbelief. "...Y-you have Sakura's clothes?"

The intensity of Sasuke's glare increased but he also looked more uncomfortable.

"What on earth are you talking about?"

"Oh, I see how it is..." Not stopping to give Sasuke a chance to talk, though he didn't look like he wanted to anyway, Kakashi kept speaking. "Anyway, I heard that you stayed the night. The moment you heard that Sakura-chan was sick, you rushed over here to save the damsel in distress. She told me this morning that you had a chat with her mother. I wonder what you two could have talked about."

He chuckled lightly, though his eyes stayed firmly on Sasuke, watching for his reaction.

"I visited her simply because it was courtesy to see the well being of a colleague or aquainte–"

"You like her, don't you?" Kakashi asked slowly, his mouth dropping open. Sasuke looked coldly at him. How on earth did that man come to that conclusion?

"Don't be ridiculous. I just feel protective towards her, that's all," he snapped. Kakashi shrugged.

"That good enough for me; you like Sakura! You called her pretty today. She's over the moon about it."

"She must have been mistaken," scoffed Sasuke. He set the basket down at his feet and dusted his hands. "Sakura doesn't suit my definition of 'pretty'."

"...Do you even _have_ a definition of pretty...?"

Sasuke stared at Kakashi silently.

.

"_Fine, fine, fine. What do you think is pretty?"_

_Sasuke grabbed two handfuls of his blanket and twisted them shyly. "Nothing. Only girls think things are pretty."_

"_That's bull."_

"_Nii-chan! Mum said not to swear in front of me."_

"_That's bull, too." Itachi paused to flop onto Sasuke's bed, causing him to jolt a few inches off his mattress. He giggled. "I think... girls are pretty. I think autumn is pretty. I think that horrible picture of a rainbow that you draw was pretty."_

_Sasuke wrinkled his nose. "Mum said it was colourful."_

"_It was just about as colourful as a pile of horse sh- Damn. I have to go. My hunting lesson is in a few minutes. Have a nice nap, Sasuke."_

_Sasuke wriggled around under his blanket as Itachi leaned over to kiss Sasuke on the cheek._

"_Nii-chan?"_

"_Mmm?"_

"_Can I come hunting with you?"_

_Sasuke watched his brother chuckle and sigh._

"_Forgive me, Sasuke. Next time."_

_._

"Pretty things are for girls," spat Sasuke, unconsciously punching Kakashi's fence. He left in a huff while Kakashi stared at the hamper. He got off his porch and edged towards the hamper and peeked inside, hoping to find any morsel of food.

Sasuke had eaten everything.

* * *

"I miss Tsunade," whined Sakura to her tired mother. "Remember how she used have to come around every day and check on my head? I miss seeing her."

"Hmm..."

"Why did she leave? She was really nice to me!"

"Yeah..."

"...Are you listening to me?"

"Check under your bed."

"Okaa-san! Listen! I want to go see Tsunade!"

Sakura's mother put down her book and peered at Sakura over her reading glasses. Sakura's face was flushed with determination and excitement. Sakura's mother sighed. The sky outside was a vivid pink and orange, and it had been a long day for Sakura's mother.

"Honey... Tsunade lives in the next town. It takes a day to walk there and I, frankly, don't have the time. Maybe on the weekend and we get Asuma to give us a ride on his wagon or something..."

Sakura's lower lip trembled. "B-but, I want to see her now!"

Sakura's mother sighed and took off her reading glasses. "Can't you wait?"

"No."

"...Then I guess Kakashi might take you-"

"No, I don't want Kakashi!" cried Sakura. "Can I go by myself? Please? Pretty please? You saw Shikamaru today! Nara-san didn't even scold him when Shikamaru said he was going out!"

"That was because Shikamaru was just going down the street to say hello to a new neighbour."

"Well, I'm not even allowed to go down the street, let alone talk to strangers. Please, okaasan?"

"_She seems capable, most of the time. Is a time limit and boundary necessary?"_

Sakura's mother massaged her temples. She shouldn't have accepted that glass of wine at the Nara household.

"First of all, Temari-san is not a stranger. She's just visiting town for a while and Shikamaru happens to be friends with her. And secondly..."

Sakura watched hopefully as her mother took in a deep breath. And then another. Followed by another. Until finally, "So long as you leave at the crack of dawn; only travel when it's day and don't wander off the main road... You may... visit Tsunade tomorrow."

Sakura gaped at her mother and then squealed loudly. She leapt onto her mother, hugging and kissing her all over. Her mother squirmed uncomfortably.

"Alright, Sakura, that's enou—No, I mean it, get off—Sakura!"

"Thank you!" squealed Sakura, now bouncing around the room like a flea. "I'll be home before you know it, Mother. Don't you worry! I'll be fine."

* * *

"Sakura! Where are you off to this morning?"

"Tsunade's house!"

Asuma slumped in his horse saddle and his grip in the reigns loosened dramatically. He gaped at innocent Sakura who was dressed in her best Sunday clothes, which included a pink and white dress, white knee high socks and light pink ballet flats with a matching hat and petticoat.

"D-does your mother know?" he asked suspiciously, grabbing the reigns again and jerking the head of his horse away from his neighbour's pear tree. He looked down at Sakura. It was odd how relaxed she was, resting one hand on the fence that divided them.

Sakura nodded quickly and pointed to a basket she held in the crook of her elbow. "Yes, yes! And _look, _she even helped me prepare some of Tsunade's favourite snacks!"

It was obvious that Sakura's excitement was overflowing as she spoke frantically about how much she missed Tsunade.

Asuma scratched his head hastily. "Sakura-chan, do you know how to get there? How about you wait for a few hours and I'll take you there myself?"

Sakura shook her head politely and pointed into the distance. Asuma followed her line of vision and squinted; it was the main road. The road that all the nomads and travellers took. The road that brought the circus if they were on tour. The road that stretched all the way to the coast. Still Asuma squirmed at the thought of a little girl walking along the road by herself.

" '_Follow the road until you see a sign that says, _Oto_._' That's what my mother said. And-and she said that I wasn't to go anywhere near the f-forrest and that I wasn't allowed to speak to strangers and I wasn't allowed to stop to pick flowers," recited Sakura quickly, hoping that Asuma couldn't hear her displeasure.

He still wasn't convinced. "Are you sure that your mother said for you to go by yourself...? I mean, surely Ino could accompany you."

But Sakura waved her hand. "Don't worry, Asuma-san. I'll only travel during the day. Bye bye!"

"Err, bye?" Asuma raised his hand unsurely as Sakura skipped away. He absolutely _had_ to tell Kurenai this. But first he saw a lonely figure wandering around his ranch. It was the woodcutter. "Hey!"

"Hn?" _What?_

Asuma pointed quickly. "You see that girl there?"

"Hn." _Yes._

"D'you know who she is?"

"Hn." _Unfortunately... _

"Go stall her for a bit, ok?"

"Hn." _Her mother already asked me to do that._ And with that, Sasuke leapt over the fence in the calmness, and for lack of a better word, _coolest _fashion and followed Sakura.

He didn't bother running but his strides were longer that Sakura's so he caught up to her quickly. He stopped walking. It was cold but there was a stretch of a brilliant blue cloudless sky.

"Don't go."

Sasuke's words lingered in the air. For a second, he thought that Sakura hadn't heard him.

"Eh?"

Yup, she hadn't heard him. Sakura looked around for the source of the voice. Sasuke thought it was embarrassing to be seen in public with her, and was thankful that no one was out this early.

"Don't leave. It's too dangerous out there. Stay here." Those were the exact words that Sakura's mother had requested that he say. Sasuke initially thought that it was unfair that she used him so that she wouldn't appear to be the bad guy, but he agreed anyway. He'd been thinking about Sakura since he accidently let slip that he thought she was _more than just a pretty thing._

"Oh, Sasuke-kun. It's you," Sakura laughed. "I thought it was the Forrest Ghost or something."

She laughed again.

Sasuke sighed.

"Listen, I don't think you should leave town by yourself. It's too dangerous." His monotone did not make it convincing.

"Silly Sasuke-kun," Sakura smiled. "I'm a big girl now. I can take care of myself."

She winked at him and left.

* * *

A/N: sooooo, this is the long overdue chapter four :) much apologies to all of my readers but the moment exams are over, they give us assignments...and in the holidays too!

anyway, i felt that this chapter was a hybrid between a filler and an actually chapter, so apologies there too. and if there are any weird grammatical errors, forgive me, this was only proof read once. true story.

please review. as fellow writers you should know the joy of reading a review ;)

Elle.


	7. OmakeTHREE

_Omake III (AU)_

_Lights. Camera._

_Action!_

"Haruno-san! We're filming in five. Same goes for you, Uchiha-san!" shouted the director's assistant towards Sasuke's trailer while rapping violently on Sakura's trailer door. "Don't be late."

The director's assistant left in a hurry, desperately clutching at a stack of notes in his arms. Little did he know that Sasuke was not in his trailer but behind the producer's car, smoking. And where was Sakura? Well, she was sitting in one of the sets (Sasuke's cottage), painting her toenails with Ino.

"Pass the glittery one."

"Which one? There are like," Sakura leaned forward to observe the little bottles on the table while simultaneously fanning her feet with her hand, "ten...!"

"Well, ladidaa, Miss I-got-the-role-of-Pink-Riding-Hood!" snapped Ino, swiping one of the bottles and twisting it open aggressively.

"Are you still pissed off that I got the role?"

"Pfft, as if. You _only_have to do scenes with Sasuke-kun. Yeah, that's _definitely_ not a big deal."

"Well, if you had shown up to the auditions on time, you would have definitely gotten it. You've done much more work than I have. When I arrived at the first audition, people didn't even know who I was!"

"Well, they do now!"

Sakura scowled.

"It's just about the fame, Ino! It's really tough work I have to do! We're filming the escape scene at the moment, and there are about twenty paramedics standing around in case we fall or something. We can't even get stunt double 'cause the director wants shots of our faces during the scene!"

"Yeah, but you get to star opposite Sasuke Uchiha. Sexy, sexy Sasuke Uchiha. And I heard his brother's making a cameo appearance. You get to be with _Itachi_Uchiha as he makes his acting debut...?"

Ino sighed dreamily.

"I love how you fantasize about men you have never spoken to before. You want my opinion? Itachi's alright, I guess. There's only one scene with both of our characters in it and it's not even me. It's that snotty little blonde girl who had to dye her hair pink."

"OH! I _knew_ she looked familiar! She's that girl from that phone ad, right?"

Sakura nodded glumly. "The director thought that she had the most experience out of the people who auditioned. Not to mention, he thinks that we look alike."

Ino chortled.

"Alright. And your opinion on Sasuke? Sexy, sexy Sasuke?"

"Boring!"

"But...sexiness..."

"But the man never opens his mouth unless it's to eat, drink or smoke."

Ino looked confused for a second and then smirked.

"Oh, dear Sakura. I've read the script. You're worried about the kissing scene aren't you?"

"What? No! _Shut up!_"

"_Sakura and Sasuke, kissing the tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes..._er..._something..."_

"Shut up. And stop waving your hand around. You're getting pink all over Sasuke's table. Oh crap, that's gonna stain..."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you want a different coloured stain on Sasuke's table? Like, maybe whi—"

"Oi! Haruno. Break's over. Director's calling us."

"_Ooooooohh myyyyyyyy ggaawwwwwd! Uchiha Sasukeeeeee!_"

"And get rid of your friend before any of the crew members find her here. You're not allowed visitors today."

"God, Sasuke, chill out. She's not doing anything wrong, for crying out loud—"

"Haruno, you better listen to me. Or I _will _make sure you're punished."

"_Oh my God! _That is _sooo_ what she said."

"Shut up, Ino."

* * *

A/N: are you guys counting down to christmas? YES? no? maaaaaaybe? Well im sorry about the abundant amount of omakes bbuuuuuuuttt remember omakeONE? brand spanking new version. go check it out.

MERRY CHRISTMAS GUYS! i promise a proper chapter in the next few days :D

i swear on...gaara's life :)

_smile at people and you might just make their day,_

Elle.


	8. ChapterFIVE: Following

ChapterFIVE

A remake of the original 'Little Red Riding Hood', starring Haruno Sakura as Red Riding Hood, Uchiha Sasuke as the Woodcutter, and Orochimaru as the Big Bad Wolf. Coming soon to a theatre near you. –Warning: Mature audiences recommended; includes mature themes–

_._

_._

_Previously:_

"Sasuke-kun doesn't like me. Stupid Sasuke."

.

"Just a rumour... J-just a rumour."

"It's not a rumour, little girl."

.

"Only travel when it's day and don't wander off the main road."

.

_And so Little Red Riding Hood set off by herself._

.

.

_/ / Little._

_Pink._

_Riding._

_Hood. / /_

_._

_._

_._

When the villagers of Oto saw a missing poster for one child, their hearts fluttered uneasily. When they saw a wall of missing posters, all for different children, glued desperately all over the place, they felt nauseas. So imagine what it would be like if they saw their own child stuck up in the wall.

One poster stood out from the rest: a woman in her thirties. The poster was slightly smudged from the recent rain, but there was no mistaking who the woman was.

_MISSING:_

_Tsunade __**–smudge-**__ (Local doctor)_

_Blonde. In her thirties. Rather large __**–smudge-**_

_Last __**–smudge-**__ intoxicated at Kage's Pub._

_Approach __**–smudge-**__ caution. Easily aggravated._

_Been missing since the end of last year._

_Report to authorities if you have any knowledge on her whereabouts._

.

.

.

The road to Oto had been worn and smoothed in the middle, but was still uneven and covered in gravel on the sides. So Sakura did the smartest thing she could think of. She walked right in the middle of the main road, only having to dive off to the side every few minutes to avoid being hit by three bicycles, four horse and carts and a flock of sheep and their angry looking shepherd.

But who on earth herded sheep using the main road?

"Oh, you're beautiful!" gasped Sakura when she saw a vivid blue butterfly land on a wild daisy growing by the side of the road. She edged closer and crouched down.

And stared at it.

"Your wings are so...detailed. I wish I could fly. I would buzz around all day—Hey, wait, where are you going?"

The butterfly fluttered daintily away and hovered, ever so quickly, in front of Sakura before flying off.

"Hey, wait! No, you're going in the wrong direction!" whined Sakura, casting a longing look at the blue butterfly and then the long tedious road to Oto.

Oto can wait. Tsunade can wait. It wasn't like Tsunade wouldn't be at her home anyway. Sakura could visit anytime...

Sakura stumbled after the butterfly, squinting in the sun to keep it insight. It darted left and right, pausing now and then, almost as if allowing Sakura to keep up.

When it ducked down onto another flower, Sakura smiled and began picking the flowers next to it.

"Yamanaka Ino taught me how to arrange flowers," Sakura said happily. "Big ones go in the middle and the little ones go outside. My name's Sakura. It's a type of flower. Cherry blossoms."

The butterfly said nothing.

"Do you have a name?"

Again, the butterfly said nothing.

"Is that a no? Ok, I'll call you..._Cho._ Yeh?"

The butterfly drifted off lazily with Sakura on its trail, arranging her wildflowers. It was a while before Sakura stopped aimlessly following the butterfly. Her feet were no longer walking on the smooth road, but treading on damp leaves. The colourful wildflowers that grew on the side of the road had turned into thorny bushes.

All of a sudden, Sakura felt colder. Perhaps it was the cool breeze that rolled over her, or perhaps it was shame. Her mother had grudgingly allowed her this brief moment of total trust and Sakura still manages to get lost.

She was angry with herself, although she believed that the pretty butterfly deserved some blame too. Sakura watched it fly off, leaving her alone, standing in what she believed to be the middle of nowhere.

_That looks familiar,_ thought Sakura, glancing at a fallen branch. _Maybe that's the way ba—But I remember seeing that rock too. Where's the road?_

Everything looked the same. The dark trees; the orange and blue mushrooms; the moss covered rocks; every twig that lay on the ground; the clouds in the sky looked identical.

Sakura wandered over to a particularly large rock and sat down. Her bottom lip trembled as she blinked furiously. She didn't want to be going to Tsunade's house with bloodshot eyes. Bloodshot green eyes looked terrible. The butcher's son once described it to her as having Christmas in her eyeballs. She still didn't know if he was teasing her or not.

She sighed. It had been a while since she had gotten really lost. The last time she could remember was when she was playing hide and seek and she decided to hide in the back of Asuma's wagon amongst the hay. Needless to say, it took over three hours to find her again because Asuma had unknowingly drove Sakura to Kumo.

Another time, when she was ten, her mother was out of town and Sakura was left in the care of Kakashi, who fed her nothing but sugar cubes, cakes and cordial. He woke up at one in the morning, only to find Sakura's bed empty. After an hour of searching, it turned out that she had climbed onto Shikamaru's roof and was singing _Auld Lang Syne _at the top of her voice. It was amazing she even knew the words.

Sakura wrinkled her nose. The last memory didn't really count as her getting lost.

Her train of thought was broken when she heard a hiss. She stiffened briefly and looked around curiously. It was an unnatural sound to be heard in the midst of the rustling of trees and the tweeting of birds. She stood up and frowned. As she took a step forward, the hiss grew louder until there was a quick thud.

"Can't you at least try to look where you're going?"

"_Sasuke-kun!_"

"Hn."

Sasuke was tossing a pebble up in the air and catching it neatly. There was a small smirk on his face. In a blink, he flicked the pebble just behind Sakura, who whimpered and cowered.

"Idiot. I wasn't aiming at you," said Sasuke, rolling his eyes. "Snake."

Sakura looked behind her in time to see a long green snake rear its head and his violently.

"Oh, so it was you who was making the noise," Sakura said as Sasuke produced another pebble from his pocket and threw it at the snake, hitting its head effectively. It stopped moving.

"I didn't hit it hard enough to kill it, just stun it for a good couple of hours," Sasuke mentioned when he saw Sakura's confused face. "I missed on the first shot but I managed to get its tail on the second try."

"Why were you trying to—"

"Fangs."

"That doesn't make any—"

"Venom."

"Sasuke-kun, you're not lis—"

"Biting."

"What? I don't get it."

"I'm just trying to talk in your language," Sasuke shrugged. He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked around. He eyed the bunch of flowers Sakura held. "I thought your mother told you not to stop and pick flowers."

"She did! I just...forgot," Sakura lowered her head in shame. Sasuke rolled his eyes again. Sakura took the opportunity to ask him a question before he could reprimand her. "Where are we?"

"Forest."

"Well, I think I'm lost."

"Hn. Isn't that the understatement of the year."

Sakura pouted.

"Can you show me the way back?"

Sasuke sighed.

"Don't worry about it. There's a shortcut through the forest. A lot of people take this path."

"Then why didn't I get told to take this route?"

"Because the main road is safer...even if it takes three times longer than the shortcut. Baka."

Sakura glared as much as she could, which wasn't very much. Sasuke thought she looked cute.

"Come on," he said finally. "I'll take you there."

Sakura relaxed into a smile. "Oh, Sasuke-kun, that's really very nice of you!"

Sasuke scoffed. "I could never forgive myself if you were eaten by a bear."

"Eh? What did you say?"

"Hn. Nothing."

Sasuke walked ahead of Sakura, often cautioning her not to step in a puddle or to duck a low hanging tree branch. She heard most of the warnings. Other than that, there was no other exchange of words between the two. Sasuke, as usual, basked in the silence, enjoying the sounds and smells of nature. He loved the smell of air after it had rained. He liked watching that single drop of water hold onto the tip of a leaf for as long as it could before falling to the ground.

Sakura, on the other hand, found the silence awkward and uncomfortable. She always managed to find something to talk about, yet being with Sasuke here was difficult. It was as though Sasuke was in a good mood. Though his face was still emotionless, there was something about the way he...just was. If he was in any better mood, he would be humming.

"Did Kakashi feed you sugar cubes?"

"Excuse me?"

"Sugar cubes," repeated Sakura calmly. "Did you have any? You're in awfully high spirits."

Sasuke almost chuckled. "You say it like it's a bad thing. I'm not made of wood or rock. I'm still human."

Sakura stopped walking and stared at Sasuke.

"What is it now?" Sasuke sighed, exasperated. He stopped walking as well and glared at Sakura. He kept glaring as she walked up to him and punched him in arm.

"Liar! If you're not made of rock, why aren't you squishy?" Sakura proceeded to jab herself in the stomach and then in the cheek. It was all fine until she reached for Sasuke's face. He grunted and frowned but otherwise made no other attempt to avoid Sakura.

"Hmm," Sakura pouted, as she squeezed Sasuke's left cheek. "I think I need a nap."

"Wha?"

Sakura was squishing his cheeks together, trying to make him pout.

"I'm sleepy. I woke up early this morning, you know."

"'akura, i's only eight."

"Mhmm. I'm usually asleep at eight."

"Oh Go', you're shtupid."

* * *

A/N: the SHORTEST chapter i have written for this darn story. aaargh, i'm pissed off at myself now. i should have written more T T

i'm sooo sorry for this craptacular excuse of a chapter. but love it or hate it, tell me what you think. CURSE YOU SAKURA AND SASUKE! why can't you guys just fall in love and make babies? oh wow, you did _not_ hear me say (or type) that ._.

review and i swear on KAKASHI'S (_sexy, hot, yummy_) life that the next chapter will be a chapter, not an omake :)

and it _will_ star:

a) sasuke

b) itachi

c) i dunno, still deciding :L


	9. ChapterUPDATE: Not a Real Chapter

Ok, so here it goes:

1. No, I have not died...

2. Yes, I did fail several exams (I am NOT joking, I got under 50% for 2 of my tests)

3. Yes, I did lose a certain USB containing all sacred fanfic files...

4. Yes, I am currently in the process of re-writing chapter 6 (it'll be out soon, I PROMISE!)

5. Yes, it does contain Itachi's official appearance

6. Yes, there will be plenty of (_underage, baby, off limits_) Sasuke

7. No, Sakura will not be in it (are you guys happy about that? Leave a review and let me know)

8. Yes, I did see Pirates of the Caribbean 4

9. No, I did not like it

10. Yes, I have booked tickets to go see Harry Potter

11. Yes, I will cry

12. No, I am not enjoying calculus

13. Yes, I am _actually_ missing trig (can you _believe _it?)

14. Yes, I started thinking about fanfic randomly during class

15. Yes, I will get this fic over and done with by the end of the (next) year :P

16. Yes, I busted my school laptop (for those of you who live in Australia, you'd know what I'm talking about. The laptop that we get in yr 9? Yeh, the screen's hinge literally shattered...)

17. Yes, I will be turning 17 in under a month. Huzzah for oldness ._.


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